Bats population vulnerable to Pollution

This is a brown long-eared bat, common across Europe but declining, partly due to conversion of old barns used for roosting and feeding. They often catch large insects like moths and hang from feeding perches to eat them. If you find a pile of moth or butterfly wings but no bodies, it's likely a brown long-eared bat had dinner there!

This paper (popsci summary) found that bat colonies in unlit churches persisted after several decades while the lit churches no longer had bats.

Urban environments seem to tend to select larger, faster bat species. The urban planning of those streets (eg are there trees along them?) may play an important role as well.

Interestingly, not all lights are the same and bats seem to dislike LEDs more. These effects may have an outsized impact in tropical areas where bats pollinate and spread seeds. If you'd like to read more about bats and light pollution, EUROBATS has complied a summary of scientific literature looking at bats and light pollution.

Here's a review of a study on noise pollution and bats and the study itself. Another study found similar results. Here's a BBC article about how noise pollution is affecting a variety of species beyond our bat friends.

Here's a review of a study on noise pollution and bats and the study itself.