Andrea Fogato

My main scientific interests concern animal behavioural responses to anthropogenic factors. In my PhD, I seek to uncover the costs and benefits of hibernation across climate gradients in the common noctule bats (Nyctalus noctula), with particular attention to a novel range shift which was likely caused by climate change. I want to test whether this range shift is actually matched by energetic benefits.

Understanding the effects of climate change on wildlife is paramount. Some highly mobile species may respond to geographical changes in climate by tracking their suitable conditions, thus shifting their ranges. N. noctula undertook one such shift: in the last 30 years it started to hibernate in areas outside of its traditional winter range, expanding into the north and east. This is likely led by rising winter temperatures. However, the winter activity patterns of N. noctula are still largely unknown. Because of this, we cannot conclude yet what the overall costs and benefits of hibernating at different latitudes really are. To investigate this, I track noctule activity and torpor patterns to investigate how they are affected by temperature, using several methods. I monitor the activity budgets of individual bats by tagging them with ICARUS bio-loggers. Additionally, I monitor root-wise activity with passive acoustic monitoring and video recordings. Finally, I acquire information on food presence and intake with photographic techniques and fecal sampling.