Home is where the heat is: Thermoregulation of European bats inhabiting artificial roosts and the threat of heat waves

In their new study, Czenze and colleagues demonstrate the importance of placing bat boxes in diverse locations to provide varied roost microclimates. There are over 1400 species of bats on the planet that live in a wide variety of roosts, including caves, buildings, and trees. Many bat species are threatened by climate change and habitat destruction, and this is particularly true for forest bats. Due … Continue reading Home is where the heat is: Thermoregulation of European bats inhabiting artificial roosts and the threat of heat waves

The hidden world of colours: a thermal story

This blog is part of our colourful countdown to the holiday season where we’re celebrating the diversity and beauty of the natural world. In this post, Johnathan Goldenberg of Ghent University unpicks the fascinating role of scale colouration in lizard temperature control and what this means under climate change. Colour is around us everyday, and we often talk about colours like everyone has the same experience as … Continue reading The hidden world of colours: a thermal story

The importance of wetland margin microhabitat mosaics

The use of microhabitats for thermoregulation in wetland species is poorly studied. In their latest research, Ryeland and colleagues conduct field observations of nine species of shorebird to test whether birds selectively use microhabitats across temperatures. Wetlands, and the species that rely upon them, are under significant threat world‐wide, and managing habitat for migratory wetland species, such as shorebirds, is particularly challenging because it requires … Continue reading The importance of wetland margin microhabitat mosaics