Global change is altering the physiology of the hibernation and behavior of bats, according to a study carried out over a twenty year period. Given the milder winters we are having, bats are accumulating less fat reserves in autumn, they shorten their hibernation periods and they leave their winter shelter sooner.
These changes could alter the migration pattern of bats and the phenology of their seasonal displacements.
"The fat reserves they accumulate should be large enough to survive the whole winter without eating. However, due to shorter winters and higher temperatures, bats are not fattening up in autumn as they used to do years ago, because they do not need that much fat to get through the winter," notes Professor Jordi Serra-Cobo, from the UB's Department of Evolutionary, Ecology and Environmental Sciences.
"The study states that the hibernation chamber takes longer to cool down compared to previous years. This delay affects bat hibernation because they do not find the optimal temperatures to hibernate until late January or early February. Therefore, these animals look for colder spaces near the entrance of their winter shelter and are exposed to a higher risk of predation ," concludes Marc López-Roig .
"Everything indicates that the phenology of certain insect species has also advanced with the global warming. This would coincide with the end of bat hibernation, so the impact of a shorter hibernation would be lower if these two situations were synchronized," note the authors of the study.
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