Landscape-scale planning for bat conservation is challenging because detailed information on habitat use is difficult to obtain, particularly for rare bats that are infrequently recorded using acoustic techniques.
Aims: To assess the permeability of landscapes to rare bats, including greater and lesser horseshoe, barbastelle and Bechstein’s, and to identify the locations of key sites including maternity and swarming locations.
Objectives:
i) to establish a network of static radiotracking receivers that will automatically log the passage of bats and trial the technique using greater horseshoe, lesser horseshoe, barbastelle and/or Bechstein’s bats.
ii) To manage the resultant large database and use informatics approaches, potentially including machine-learning, to triangulate the position of animals, map flight trajectories and identify foci of activity.
iii) To assess the connectivity between subpopulations and isolated sites using a range of spatially-explicit modelling techniques.
iv) To inform practical mitigation and planning decisions by identifying features that act as barriers to movement.
Methods:
The project will use the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, where a network of static receivers automatically records and logs the passage of animals carrying special tags. The system has been widely used for several years, particularly in North America, to study the movement of migratory birds. Here, the masts are often widely spaced in a row in order to detect the arrival or departure of migrants. Recently, the system has been refined to generate very fine resolution information on the local movement of bats by deploying the receivers in a grid network. This project is a radical step-change from any approach previously used for radiotracking bats because of the very large quantities of data that can be collected. This will enable the project to assess key information gaps such as way in which bat activity changes with increasing proximity to roads, lighting and urban areas. It will also help to identify the location of key sites, such as maternity roosts and swarming/mating sites.
Because the technology is new, the project will need to develop systems for managing the data and identifying the precise locations of individuals, taking into account features that could impede the detection of signals (such as topography and tree-cover). Informatics approaches, potentially including machine-learning, will be used to assist with this process. The project will also use other techniques including static acoustic monitoring and conventional radiotracking as a method comparison.
The equipment for the project is funded by Devon County Council and therefore most of the fieldwork will take place in Devon. The outputs of the project will be shared with the South Hams Greater Horseshoe Bat Steering Group in a user-friendly format, and will be used to inform local planning and conservation policies.
How to apply:
Please submit a formal application using the online system at www.sussex.ac.uk/study/phd/apply attaching a CV, degree transcripts and certificates, statement of interest and two academic references. No need for a research proposal as the project is already defined.
On the application system select Programme of Study – PhD Biology. Please ensure you state the project title under funding, select ‘already sponsored’ and include the proposed supervisor’s name where required.
For enquiries about the application process, contact Emma Chorley: [Email Address Removed]
For enquiries about the project, contact [Email Address Removed]
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