Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights

Abstract Advances in technological capabilities, operational simplicity and cost efficiency have promoted the rapid integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into ecological research, providing access to study taxa that are otherwise difficult to survey, such as bats. Many bat species are curre...

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Autores principales:	Gabrielle Ednie, David M. Bird, Kyle H. Elliott
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2021
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/22ee7bdf16544e8f9dc9a9e9cf729d4a
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:22ee7bdf16544e8f9dc9a9e9cf729d4a2021-12-02T17:50:41ZFewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights10.1038/s41598-021-90905-02045-2322https://doaj.org/article/22ee7bdf16544e8f9dc9a9e9cf729d4a2021-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-90905-0https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Advances in technological capabilities, operational simplicity and cost efficiency have promoted the rapid integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into ecological research, providing access to study taxa that are otherwise difficult to survey, such as bats. Many bat species are currently at risk, but accurately surveying populations is challenging for species that do not roost in large aggregations. Acoustic recorders attached to UAVs provide an opportunity to survey bats in challenging habitats. However, UAVs may alter bat behaviour, leading to avoidance of the UAV, reduced detection rates and inaccurate surveys. We evaluated the number of bat passes detected with and without the presence of a small, commercial UAV in open habitats. Only 22% of bat passes were recorded in the presence of the UAV (0.23 ± 0.09 passes/min) compared to control periods without the UAV (1.03 ± 0.17 passes/min), but the effect was smaller on the big brown bat/silver-haired bat (Eptesicus fuscus/Lasionycteris noctivagans) acoustic complex. Noise interference from the UAV also reduced on-board bat detection rates. We conclude that acoustic records attached to UAVs may inaccurately survey bat populations due to low and variable detection rates by such recorders.Gabrielle EdnieDavid M. BirdKyle H. ElliottNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Gabrielle Ednie David M. Bird Kyle H. Elliott Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights
description	Abstract Advances in technological capabilities, operational simplicity and cost efficiency have promoted the rapid integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into ecological research, providing access to study taxa that are otherwise difficult to survey, such as bats. Many bat species are currently at risk, but accurately surveying populations is challenging for species that do not roost in large aggregations. Acoustic recorders attached to UAVs provide an opportunity to survey bats in challenging habitats. However, UAVs may alter bat behaviour, leading to avoidance of the UAV, reduced detection rates and inaccurate surveys. We evaluated the number of bat passes detected with and without the presence of a small, commercial UAV in open habitats. Only 22% of bat passes were recorded in the presence of the UAV (0.23 ± 0.09 passes/min) compared to control periods without the UAV (1.03 ± 0.17 passes/min), but the effect was smaller on the big brown bat/silver-haired bat (Eptesicus fuscus/Lasionycteris noctivagans) acoustic complex. Noise interference from the UAV also reduced on-board bat detection rates. We conclude that acoustic records attached to UAVs may inaccurately survey bat populations due to low and variable detection rates by such recorders.
format	article
author	Gabrielle Ednie David M. Bird Kyle H. Elliott
author_facet	Gabrielle Ednie David M. Bird Kyle H. Elliott
author_sort	Gabrielle Ednie
title	Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights
title_short	Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights
title_full	Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights
title_fullStr	Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights
title_full_unstemmed	Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights
title_sort	fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/22ee7bdf16544e8f9dc9a9e9cf729d4a
work_keys_str_mv	AT gabrielleednie fewerbatpassesaredetectedduringsmallcommercialdroneflights AT davidmbird fewerbatpassesaredetectedduringsmallcommercialdroneflights AT kylehelliott fewerbatpassesaredetectedduringsmallcommercialdroneflights
_version_	1718379273363914752

Fewer bat passes are detected during small, commercial drone flights

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