The Centre for Irish Bat Research (CIBR) was established in May 2008. This is a cross border initiative based at both University College Dublin, in the Republic of Ireland, and Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Our objective is to provide current biological, ecological and genetic information on Irish bat fauna. Using both established surveying methods as well as developing cutting-edge novel techniques, conservation management plans for Ireland’s bat species will be developed to meet the legal obligations under European directives and other international agreements.
The Team:
Dr Emma Teeling (UCD) Centre Manager / Principal investigator
Prof. Tom Hayden (UCD) Principal investigator
Prof. Ian Montgomery (QUB) Principal investigator
Dr Paulo Prodohl (QUB) Principal investigator
Dr Emma Boston (UCD) Post-doctoral research assistant
Dr Mathieu Lundy (QUB) Post-doctoral research assistant
Daniel Buckley (UCD) PhD candidate
David Scott (QUB) PhD candidate
Yann Gager Summer intern student
Project details:
The centres flagship project examines three of Ireland’s rarest Myotis species, the Natterer’s bat (M. nattererii), the Whiskered bat (M. mystacinus) and the Brandt’s bat (M. brandtii). The current population status, distribution and ecology of these bats in Ireland is unknown (McAney 2006).
Project Aims
- Confirm the status of known roosts and identify new roosting sites, swarming sites and hibernacul
- Assess roosting and foraging ecology, to develop a predictive model of likelihood of occurrence of each species in Irelan
- Assess feeding ecology, prey preferences and niche partitioning in Ireland
- Examine population structure and dispersal patterns across Ireland
- Determine the demographic and phylogeographic history i.e. identifying any migratory routes and examine the origins of these Irish Myotis
- Develop novel continuous monitoring techniques using faecal DNA, and assess their effectiveness for population genetic analysis
- With this information we hope to develop effective conservation and management measures for these species in Ireland.