abstract |
In 2021,
the authors, with the assistance of speleological
clubs, conducted winter surveys of bats in underground
cavities of in the Ternopil part of the Middle Dnister
Region. Twenty wintering shelters of different origin
and size were inspected, of which ten are described
for the first time. A total of 2573 individuals
of 6 species were recorded. The most abundant species
(92.84%) was Rhinolophus hipposideros. The most
noticeable accumulations of this species were found
in the caves Kryshtaleva, Vitrova, Verteba, Yuvileyna,
and Ozerna. The second most abundant species was
Myotis myotis. A total of 134 individuals of this
species were found, which is 5.2% of the total number
of recorded bats. On the third place were Myotis
daubentonii (1.1%) and Plecotus auritus (0.7%),
which were found in five shelters each, albeit in
small numbers. The largest number of bats was found
in Kryshtaleva Cave—1188 individuals belonging to
2 species. Several hundred individuals were found
during the winter in the caves Verteba and Vitrova,
and more than a hundred in the caves Khomach, Juvyleyna,
and Ozerna. The highest species richness was recorded
in the caves Ugryn, Teklivska, and Mlynky (four
species in each). There have been no noticeable
changes in the abundance and species composition
of bats during the winter in the underground cavities
of the studied region since 2019 (at the time of
preliminary surveys). It is possible to trace an
increase in the abundance of Rhinolophus hipposideros
in Kryshtaleva Cave, of Myotis daubentonii in Ugryn
Cave, and of Plecotus auritus in several shelters.
This indicates that the mode of use of caves (for
scientific and recreational purposes) does not prevent
them from fulfilling the role of wintering shelters
for this group of animals. The Ternopil part of
the Middle Dnister Region is characterized by the
absolute dominance of Rhinolophus hipposideros,
whereas in the neighbouring Kamenets part of the
region this species ranks second in abundance after
Myotis myotis. Cold-tolerant species are much more
common in the Kamianets-Podilskyi area. These differences
are related to the different types of the most common
wintering shelters in the region. |
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