Observations on the utilisation of a restored wildlife corridor by echo-locating microbats in North Queensland's Wet Tropics

Abstract

Microbat studies are uncommon in the Wet Tropics of north-east Queensland, despite the group comprising 20% of the bioregion's mammal fauna. The significance of fragmentation and habitat connectivity to the echolocating insectivore group is unknown. Over a 12-month period in 2021–2022, microbat presence was recorded in a 25-year-old restored wildlife corridor 1.2 km in length. We deployed Anabat detectors in the restored corridor, in adjacent open paddocks and in mature rainforest at either end of the corridor. Species in reference forest and corridor vegetation were consistently ‘clutter-adapted’ bats, with low aspect ratio wings; there was little overlap with high aspect ratio species of the open pasture. Low aspect ratio microbats appear to respond to the similarity in structure between restored and adjacent natural vegetation. Re-establishing structural and functional connectivity may improve the local persistence of ‘clutter-adapted’ microbats.