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Dryad

Data from: Direct and indirect effects of forest structure and management on insects and bats

Data files

Oct 21, 2024 version files 25.73 KB

Abstract

Timber-oriented forest management profoundly alters forest structure and composition, with complex effects on associated biodiversity. While today’s forests are predominately in mid-successional stages of development, the direct and indirect effects of forest management and resulting structural characteristics on species, that cascade through trophic levels, are poorly understood. As insectivorous bats are particularly sensitive to changes in forest structure, that shape their available flight space, we investigated how forest structure, composition and management also indirectly modify their habitats, e.g. by affecting important insect prey groups. We used Structural Equation Models (SEMs) to test bat responses to forest composition, structure (forest heterogeneity, old-growth attributes), and management intensity, quantifying direct and indirect prey-mediated effects. For that, three bat guilds – short- (SRE), mid- (MRE), and long-range echolocating (LRE) bats – and their prey (moths and ground beetles) were analysed from 64 sites in the Black Forest, Germany.