Bats in beaver systems

This dataset contains processed bat acoustic data collected to evaluate the ecological impacts of beaver-engineered ponds on bat species richness, activity, and feeding activity. It includes nightly activity and feeding call counts identified to species or species group level, site and treatment information (beaver pond vs. control areas along the same stream), and associated environmental covariates such as deadwood volume, arthropod abundance, and vegetation structure.

Methods: Bats were recorded using passive acoustic detectors placed at paired beaver-influenced and control sites. The resulting data was processed in the software Batscope. Arthropod abundance was estimated using flight-interception traps. The amount of deadwood and vegetation cover was measured in the field. Canopy cover and canopy heterogeneity were modelled from GIS models.

Temporal and Spatial Coverage: Data were collected from eight sites in Switzerland between June and July 2022, each site sampled for 16 nights.