Low abundance of the whiskered bat Myotis mystacinus (Kuhl, 1817) in Poland — consequence of competition with pipistrelle bats?

Interspecific competition is an important factor influencing the distribution of animals, including bats. In this study we tested if the presence of pipistrelles Pipistrellus sp. affects the distribution of the whiskered bat Myotis mystacinus using information about the species structure of bat communities obtained by capturing with mist nets in whole Poland. Abundance of the whiskered bat is low (on average 3.1%), and it only occurs frequently in the western part of the Carpathian Mountains (24.5%). The negative correlation between the abundance of the whiskered bat and pipistrelles (especially P. nathusii and P. pipistrellus) in bat communities across Poland seems to support the hypothesis that its occurrence is shaped by competitive interactions.