Behavior of bats at wind turbines
Behavior of bats at wind turbines
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DOI：
10.1073/pnas.1406672111
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发表时间：
2014-10-21
影响因子：
11.1
通讯作者：
Dalton, David C.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Cryan, Paul. M.;Gorresen, P. Marcos;Dalton, David C.
风力涡轮机正在造成史无前例的蝙蝠死亡。许多死亡与树栖蝙蝠有关，但这种较高易感性的原因尚不清楚。为了更好地了解与风险相关的行为，我们使用热像仪和其他方法，于2012年7月29日至10月1日在美国印第安纳州对三台实验性操纵的风力涡轮机中的蝙蝠进行了监测。我们观察了993次蝙蝠，看到了许多行为，包括近距离接近、飞行环路和俯冲、盘旋和追逐。大多数蝙蝠在观察过程中改变了航向，转向涡轮机。基于这些新的观察结果，我们测试了风速和叶片转速影响蝙蝠与涡轮机相互作用方式的假设。我们发现，蝙蝠在风速较低的情况下更容易被检测到，而且通常会靠近背风(顺风)侧的涡轮机。当叶片被阻止转向时，下风进近的比例随风速的增加而增加，而当叶片可以转向时，下风向进近的比例减小。在月光灿烂的夜晚，蝙蝠在涡轮机上被观察到的频率更高。综上所述，这些观察结果表明，蝙蝠可能通过感知气流和使用视觉来朝向涡轮机，而快速移动的叶片造成的空气湍流创造了对蝙蝠近距离通过的吸引力较小的条件。树蝙蝠可能会对夜间从树上顺风而来的气流做出反应，同时寻找栖息地、同种生物和夜间活动的昆虫猎物，以便在这种气流中积累。树蝙蝠在涡轮机上的死亡可能是行为进化的结果，当被高大的树木引诱时，这种行为提供了选择性优势，但现在，当被风力涡轮机引诱时，这种行为不适应。
Wind turbines are causing unprecedented numbers of bat fatalities. Many fatalities involve tree-roosting bats, but reasons for this higher susceptibility remain unknown. To better understand behaviors associated with risk, we monitored bats at three experimentally manipulated wind turbines in Indiana, United States, from July 29 to October 1, 2012, using thermal cameras and other methods. We observed bats on 993 occasions and saw many behaviors, including close approaches, flight loops and dives, hovering, and chases. Most bats altered course toward turbines during observation. Based on these new observations, we tested the hypotheses that wind speed and blade rotation speed influenced the way that bats interacted with turbines. We found that bats were detected more frequently at lower wind speeds and typically approached turbines on the leeward ( downwind) side. The proportion of leeward approaches increased with wind speed when blades were prevented from turning, yet decreased when blades could turn. Bats were observed more frequently at turbines on moonlit nights. Taken together, these observations suggest that bats may orient toward turbines by sensing air currents and using vision, and that air turbulence caused by fast-moving blades creates conditions that are less attractive to bats passing in close proximity. Tree bats may respond to streams of air flowing downwind from trees at night while searching for roosts, conspecifics, and nocturnal insect prey that could accumulate in such flows. Fatalities of tree bats at turbines may be the consequence of behaviors that evolved to provide selective advantages when elicited by tall trees, but are now maladaptive when elicited by wind turbines.