How do stand characteristics and crown heterogeneity influence bat activity in forests?

In forest ecosystems, changes in three-dimensional structure that may be induced by forest management influence the presence and abundance of plant and animal species. This is particularly true for bats as they make extensive use of the three-dimensional habitat space in forests for foraging and commuting purposes. Bats show different responses to vegetation structure depending on their foraging strategies and ecomorphological and acoustic traits such as wing morphology and echolocation call design. For instance, species with low wing loading and short-range echolocation are more likely to be found foraging within the forest where the vegetation is relatively dense whereas species with high…