Methods for assessing artificial thermal refuges: Spatiotemporal analysis more informative than averages

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Animal Behavior
• Conservation Biology

Background:

• Animals rely on thermal refuges for survival, but human activities reduce natural options.
• Artificial refuges, like bat boxes, are crucial conservation tools, yet their evaluations are often incomplete.
• Existing methods overlook critical thermal physiology and properties, limiting effective conservation strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare methods for evaluating bat box designs.
• To present a novel graphical spatiotemporal method for comprehensive bat box assessment.
• To identify optimal bat box designs considering thermal properties and bat physiology.

Main Methods:

• Compared original and modified rocket box designs.
• Combined internal box temperatures with generalized thermal physiology models.
• Developed two suitability indices for mother bats and pups.
• Utilized graphical spatiotemporal analysis to evaluate thermal performance.

Main Results:

• Average suitability indices masked significant differences between bat box designs.
• Graphical analysis revealed significant spatiotemporal differences in thermal performance, especially in sunny weather.
• An external water jacket effectively mitigated temperature extremes and prolonged favorable conditions.

Conclusions:

• Graphical spatiotemporal analysis provides a more complete assessment of bat box utility than traditional methods.
• Bat box design modifications, particularly those with water jackets, can significantly impact thermal conditions.
• Further research is needed to understand the interplay between occupant metabolic heating and internal box thermal environments.