Newswise — New research reveals that as farms make the shift to organic agriculture, bat activity experiences a decline. Organic farming is proven to be more beneficial for biodiversity compared to conventional farming, which heavily relies on harmful substances like pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers. However, little is understood about how wildlife is impacted during the transitional phase when a farm transitions to organic practices.
In a recent study conducted by the universities of Bristol, Göttingen, and Exeter, the effects of organic farming on insect-eating bats were investigated at citrus orchards in Cyprus. The study found that the activity of three out of the four bat species included in the research was significantly lower during the transition period on organic farms when compared to conventional farms.
Interestingly, the study also showed that bat activity increased on established organic farms, suggesting a "time-lag" before the full biodiversity benefits of organic farming are realized for the most abundant bat species.
Penelope Fialas from the University of Exeter expressed surprise at the results, as they had initially expected immediate positive effects from the transition to organic farming. The reasons for the negative impact on bats are not yet certain, but prior research suggests that when conventional farming practices, including the use of fertilizers and pesticides, cease, the soil and other aspects of the ecosystem may suffer. This, in turn, can have ripple effects on other wildlife. It appears that the soil and the broader ecosystem may need time to recover from the past practices before the full benefits of organic farming can be observed.
According to the research conducted by Fialas, it is essential to manage the transition to organic farming carefully to minimize any negative impact on biodiversity. One potential approach is for neighboring farms to avoid simultaneous transitions, allowing wildlife to find alternative habitats nearby while each farm switches its farming methods.
Gareth Jones, a researcher from the University of Bristol, stated that organic farms are known to host higher biodiversity compared to similar conventional farms. However, the process of transitioning to organic farming has received little attention in research. He suggested that further investigation into whether the observed detrimental effects on bat activity during this transition apply to other animals and plants would be an interesting and worthwhile future research project.
The study analyzed 22 pairs of citrus orchards, comparing bat activity between certified organic farms and conventional farms, as well as organic-transition farms and conventional farms. The bat species included in the study were Kuhl's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii), Savi's pipistrelle (Hypsugo savii), common bent-wing (Miniopterus schreibersii), and common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus).
The results of the study revealed the following key findings:
Savi's pipistrelles exhibited three times lower activity, while Kuhl's pipistrelles and common bent-wings showed activity that was twice as low on organic-transitional farms compared to conventional farms.
Kuhl's pipistrelles demonstrated twice as high activity on organic farms in comparison to conventional farms.
Both Kuhl's pipistrelles and Savi's pipistrelles displayed higher activity on organic farms than on organic-transition farms, with activity levels being threefold and twofold higher, respectively.
The presence of "semi-natural" areas surrounding the farms did not influence these differences in bat activity.
The study was partially funded by the University of Göttingen.
The paper, published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, is entitled: “Transition to organic farming negatively affects bat activity.”
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