Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter
The Szachownica cave (Kraków-Wieluń Upland, Poland) is one of the four largest wintering shelters for bats in Poland. Since the cessation of limestone mining, the number of wintering bats increased from 300 to more than 2,900 individuals. In recent years, there has been seen a gradual worsening of t...
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irk-123456789-1659362020-02-18T01:27:43Z Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter Ignaczak, M. Postawa, T. Екологія ссавців The Szachownica cave (Kraków-Wieluń Upland, Poland) is one of the four largest wintering shelters for bats in Poland. Since the cessation of limestone mining, the number of wintering bats increased from 300 to more than 2,900 individuals. In recent years, there has been seen a gradual worsening of the cave structure due to frost destruction, which leads to the possible disintegration of a major part of the cave. To prevent damage of the cave the mining methods were used, because they can i) restrict access to the bats shelters, and ii) change microclimate. Monitoring of the abundance of bats was carried out twice during a winter: in end of January and in March. The temperature was measured in 3 points in the cave and in 1 outside. Securing the cave: i) only in minor degree changed the temperature amplitude, but not the mean temperature, whereas penetration of water (and also frost damage) was limited, ii) did not change either the species composition or species-specific long-term trends in the amount of bats hibernating in the cave. However, to assess fully the impact of changes, monitoring of both the bat fauna and microclimate will be continued during the next several years. Печера «Шаховниця» (Краківсько-Велюнська височина, Польща) є одним із чотирьох найбільших зимівельних сховищ кажанів у Польщі. Після припинення видобутку вапняку, кількість зимуючих тут кажанів зросла із 300 до понад 2900 особин. За останні роки спостерігається поступове погіршення структури печери через морози, що може призвести до обвалу значної її частини. Аби запобігти пошкодженню печери, було застосовано гірничі методи, що можуть 1) обмежити доступ кажанів до сховища та 2) змінити його мікроклімат. Моніторинг чисельності кажанів здійснено двічі за зиму: в кінці січня та у березні. Вимірювання температури проведено у трьох точках печери та в одній точці за її межами. Укріплення печери 1) незначно вплинуло на коливання температури, але не на її середній показник, обмежило проникнення води (а також морозне руйнування), і 2) не вплинуло на видовий склад або видоспецифічні довгострокові тенденції змін чисельності зимуючих в печері кажанів. Однак, для повної оцінки впливу змін, моніторинг хіроптерофауни та мікроклімату буде продовжуватися протягом наступних кілька років. 2017 Article Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter / M. Ignaczak, T. Postawa // Праці Теріологічної школи. — 2017. — Т. 15: Теріологічні дослідження 2017. — С. 67-74. — Бібліогр.: 27 назв. — англ. 2312–2749 DOI: http://doi.org/10.15407/ptt2017.15.067 http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/165936 599.4:551.435.84:502.63(438) en Праці теріологічної школи Національний науково-природничий музей НАН України |
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Екологія ссавців Екологія ссавців |
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Екологія ссавців Екологія ссавців Ignaczak, M. Postawa, T. Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter Праці теріологічної школи |
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The Szachownica cave (Kraków-Wieluń Upland, Poland) is one of the four largest wintering shelters for bats in Poland. Since the cessation of limestone mining, the number of wintering bats increased from 300 to more than 2,900 individuals. In recent years, there has been seen a gradual worsening of the cave structure due to frost destruction, which leads to the possible disintegration of a major part of the cave. To prevent damage of the cave the mining methods were used, because they can i) restrict access to the bats shelters, and ii) change microclimate. Monitoring of the abundance of bats was carried out twice during a winter: in end of January and in March. The temperature was measured in 3 points in the cave and in 1 outside. Securing the cave: i) only in minor degree changed the temperature amplitude, but not the mean temperature, whereas penetration of water (and also frost damage) was limited, ii) did not change either the species composition or species-specific long-term trends in the amount of bats hibernating in the cave. However, to assess fully the impact of changes, monitoring of both the bat fauna and microclimate will be continued during the next several years. |
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Article |
| author |
Ignaczak, M. Postawa, T. |
| author_facet |
Ignaczak, M. Postawa, T. |
| author_sort |
Ignaczak, M. |
| title |
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter |
| title_short |
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter |
| title_full |
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter |
| title_fullStr |
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter |
| title_sort |
protection of the szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter |
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Національний науково-природничий музей НАН України |
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2017 |
| topic_facet |
Екологія ссавців |
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http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/handle/123456789/165936 |
| citation_txt |
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter / M. Ignaczak, T. Postawa // Праці Теріологічної школи. — 2017. — Т. 15: Теріологічні дослідження 2017. — С. 67-74. — Бібліогр.: 27 назв. — англ. |
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Праці теріологічної школи |
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AT ignaczakm protectionoftheszachownicacaveasanexampleofsavingavaluablebatwinteringshelter AT postawat protectionoftheszachownicacaveasanexampleofsavingavaluablebatwinteringshelter |
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2025-07-14T20:24:04Z |
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2025-07-14T20:24:04Z |
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1837655281905958912 |
| fulltext |
Proceedings of the Theriological School, 15 (2017): 67–74
Праці Теріологічної школи, 15 (2017): 67–74
http://doi.org/10.15407/ptt2017.15.067
UDC 599.4:551.435.84:502.63(438)
PROTECTION OF THE SZACHOWNICA CAVE AS AN EXAMPLE OF SAVING
A VALUABLE BAT WINTERING SHELTER
Maurycy Ignaczak1, Tomasz Postawa2
1Polish Society for Bats Protection,
Baczyńskiego 6/13, 98-220 Zduńska Wola, Poland
e-mail: imoris@ksiezyc.pl
2Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals, Polish Academy of Sciences
31–016 Kraków, ul. Sławkowska 17
e-mail: tpostawa@gmail.com
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter. —
Ignaczak, M., Postawa, T. — The Szachownica cave (Kraków-Wieluń Upland, Poland) is one of the four
largest wintering shelters for bats in Poland. Since the cessation of limestone mining, the number of wintering
bats increased from 300 to more than 2,900 individuals. In recent years, there has been seen a gradual wors-
ening of the cave structure due to frost destruction, which leads to the possible disintegration of a major part
of the cave. To prevent damage of the cave the mining methods were used, because they can i) restrict access
to the bats shelters, and ii) change microclimate. Monitoring of the abundance of bats was carried out twice
during a winter: in end of January and in March. The temperature was measured in 3 points in the cave and in
1 outside. Securing the cave: i) only in minor degree changed the temperature amplitude, but not the mean
temperature, whereas penetration of water (and also frost damage) was limited, ii) did not change either the
species composition or species-specific long-term trends in the amount of bats hibernating in the cave. How-
ever, to assess fully the impact of changes, monitoring of both the bat fauna and microclimate will be contin-
ued during the next several years.
Key words: bats, hibernation, microclimate, protection, Szachownica cave.
Захист печери «Шаховниця» як приклад збереження цінного для кажанів зимівельного притул-
ку. — Ігначак, М., Постава, Т. — Печера «Шаховниця» (Краківсько-Велюнська височина, Польща) є
одним із чотирьох найбільших зимівельних сховищ кажанів у Польщі. Після припинення видобутку
вапняку, кількість зимуючих тут кажанів зросла із 300 до понад 2900 особин. За останні роки спосте-
рігається поступове погіршення структури печери через морози, що може призвести до обвалу значної
її частини. Аби запобігти пошкодженню печери, було застосовано гірничі методи, що можуть 1) обме-
жити доступ кажанів до сховища та 2) змінити його мікроклімат. Моніторинг чисельності кажанів
здійснено двічі за зиму: в кінці січня та у березні. Вимірювання температури проведено у трьох точках
печери та в одній точці за її межами. Укріплення печери 1) незначно вплинуло на коливання темпера-
тури, але не на її середній показник, обмежило проникнення води (а також морозне руйнування), і
2) не вплинуло на видовий склад або видоспецифічні довгострокові тенденції змін чисельності зиму-
ючих в печері кажанів. Однак, для повної оцінки впливу змін, моніторинг хіроптерофауни та мікро-
клімату буде продовжуватися протягом наступних кілька років.
Ключові слова : кажани, гібернація, мікроклімат, охорона, печера «Шаховниця».
Introduction
Large underground systems with differential microclimate are important locations for hiberna-
tion of bats (Mitchell-Jones, 2016). However, their availability is restricted mainly to the karstic
regions, while in areas without natural caves usually man-made undergrounds such as fortifications
(fortress, bunkers) (Hutson et al., 2001), cellars, or even water wells (Ignaczak, 2009) provide hiber-
nating places. Natural caves, either karstic or tectonic, might be stable even for thousands of years,
as it’s evidenced by the accumulated sediments containing animal bone remains (Wołoszyn, 1988).
Maurycy Ignaczak, Tomasz Postawa 68
Man-made or natural undergrounds changed due to human activity can be much less stable,
threatened by destruction because of erosion of the stability of the rock mass or other random rea-
sons. The disintegration of such important shelters can result in long-term and irreversible changes
in the bat fauna, not only in a local scale, but also over a large area (Furey, Racey, 2016).
In Poland, the first three largest winter shelters for bats are man-made: fortification (MRU —
Cichocki et al., 2015), Baszta Michałowska (Lesiński et al., 2008), and drainage systems in Olsztyn
(Wojtaszyn et al., 2013). This wintering site is located more than 250 km far from the nearest natural
undergrounds. The forth in the number of wintering bats is the Szachownica cave (central Poland,
Kraków-Wieluń Upland), a large karstic underground system, partially changed during limestone
exploitation (Ignaczak, Lesiński, 2012).
Since the cessation of limestone mining, the number of wintering bats increased from approx.
300 individuals (in 1982) to more than 2,900 individuals of 11 bat species during recent years
(Lesiński et al., 2011). The Szachownica cave comprise a wintering place both for migratory bat
species for medium distances: M. myotis, M. nattereri, and sedentary species as well: B. barbastel-
lus. Constant increases in the number of wintering bats were reported, especially for the most abun-
dant species, which is associated with both the general trends in populations and the appearance of
animals from new areas (Lesiński et al., 2011). Typical for this cave is a very diverse microclimate
and a large number of crevices providing a hideout for many bat species, e.g. for the rare
M. bechsteinii (up to 50 ind.) or M. dasycneme (up to 10 ind.). The cave and its surroundings are also
a place of mass autumn activity of bats, where during one night were caught up to 900 ind. belong-
ing to 10 bat species, making it the largest swarming site in Poland (Ignaczak, Lesiński, 2012). Since
2007, the natural reserve “Szachownica cave” is included into the Natura2000 net as a “Special area
of conservation Szachownica PLH240004”.
Underground excavations of limestone changed the shape of this cave and caused a significant
violation in its microclimate (Głazek et al., 1978). In recent years, there has been a gradual worsen-
ing caused by frost destruction, which leads to the possibility of the destruction of a major part of the
cave (Polonius 2001), including wintering locations, mainly of B. barbastellus and P. auritus. To
prevent the damage of such a valuable wintering place, the Regional Directorate for Environment
Protection in Katowice decided to protect the ceiling using methods of the mining industry (LIFE12
NAT/PL/000012). Since the mining methods can i) restrict access to the bats shelters (crevices), and
ii) change the microclimate, we have conducted a complex monitoring of both the bat fauna and
microclimate changes before, during and after the securing works.
Material and methods
Study area
The natural reserve "Szachownica cave" (18°48’39’’ E, 51°03’22’’ N) is situated in the middle
of the Wieluń Upland, which is the northern part of Kraków-Wieluń Upland (central Poland). It in-
cludes a wooded limestone hill Krzemienna Góra (224 m) with an area of 12.70 ha, together with an
extensive cave split by a quarry during the limestone excavation: Szachownica I with a length of
about 700 m, Szachownica II with a length of about 200 m, and Szachownica III–V — small frag-
ments in the southern part of the quarry (Górny, Szelerewicz, 2010).
The exploitation of limestone was ceased in 1962. Because of mining and underground excava-
tion of limestone, natural corridors were artificially widened to the size of large chambers. Currently
in Szachownica I, the amount of natural parts is about 40 % of the total length.
To protect this unique geological object, a proglacial cave — special genetic types of cave in
glaciated areas, in 1978 a geological reserve was established. The first notice about mass wintering
of bats comes from the report "Project of the geological reserve Szachownica" (Bednarek et al.,
1977). Regular monitoring of bats hibernating in this cave started at the beginning of the 1980s and
it is preceded until today. Monitoring of the numbers of bats was carried out twice during the winter:
in end of January and in March, due to the large differences in species composition between the be-
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter 69
ginning and the end of winter. Among wintering species the most abundant are M. nattereri
(1201 ind.), B. barbastellus (992 ind.), M. myotis (670 ind.), P. auritus (378 ind.), while M. dauben-
tonii (212 ind.) and M. mystacinus/brandtii (108 ind.) are the less abundant ones. The other bat spe-
cies hibernate in small numbers (Hejduk, Radzicki, 1996; Ignaczak, Lesiński, 2012).
Preliminary studies of the cave’s microclimate (temperature and humidity) were conducted by
Hejduk and Radzicki (1996), but, as in this case and later studies, the measurements were performed
at a height of 1.5 m above the cave floor. Temperature variations in the natural corridors were much
lower than in the corridors artificially extended, however this variation is significant and the cave is
considered as underground with dynamic microclimate (Głazek et al., 1978; Polonius, 2001).
The first plan for the protection of the Szachownica cave from collapsing was prepared in 1996,
but it has been never implemented. During the following years the “Critical revision of the ability to
protect the cave” (2001) and “Habitat Restoration Management Plan” (2007) were prepared too. In
2015, the operation for protection of the cave was started, and it was divided into 2 stages: i) 3.07–
21.09.2015 — the main work with securing of the ceiling of the cave, and ii) 8.06–23.09.2016 —
finishing the works. All securing works were carried out during off-season of bats hibernation. Dur-
ing the summer, the work was carried out only in daylight to minimize the impact on either the feed-
ing activity or swarming of bats. The caves were secured by: i) anchoring the floor — the strength-
ening of the rock mass (> 230 anchors) and securing the metal mesh (453 m2 metal wire mesh) were
made; ii) injection of glue (bonding rock layers and cutting off of water from the surface) — 74.5
tons of non-toxic mineral and organic glue were used; iii) construction of pillars to underpin the
roof — 3 pillars were built.
Temperature
Both for bats and to assess the degree of destruction of the roof of the cave it is important to
check the conditions in places of bats hibernation. Data loggers (DS1923 Thermochron iButton,
Maxim Integrated Products, USA, accuracy 0.5 °C, resolution 0.5 °C) were placed in three locations
in the cave: Złomisk hall (logger 1), Przejściowa hall (logger 2), Równoległy passage (logger 3), and
one was placed outside the cave to measure the outside temperature (logger 4). The temperature was
recorded with 2-h intervals throughout the study. Measurements were taken during three winter sea-
sons: 2009/10 (before cave protection), 2014/15 (the beginning of the safety work), and 2015/16
(after the completed work). Two parameters were counted: i) amplitude — due to different influence
of weather condition/outside on different part of cave, ii) minimum daily temperature, due to its ef-
fect on frost weathering.
Moreover, weather parameters such as minimal temperature (°C), precipitation (mm) and snow
cover (cm), were used from the nearest meteorological station’s data (Pyrzowice).
Bats
Bat census was carried out twice during the hibernation period: at the end of January and at the
beginning of March (highest abundance of hibernating bats). To compare data with microclimate
monitoring we used monitoring data from consecutive years: 2009/10: 31.01.2010 and 07.03.2010;
2014/15: 31.01.2015 and 07.03.2015; 2015/16: 30.01.2016 and 05.03.2016. Counts were preformed
without removing bats from the roost’s walls. Bats were found using LED headlamps, determination
were performed according to species-specific features. Single individuals and small clusters were
directly counted, larger clusters were photographed using a digital camera and the bats were counted
from photos. Most of the inhabited parts of the cave by the most abundant species were placed on
the cave’s scheme to evaluate the importance of each part of the Szachownica cave (fig. 1).
Statistics
To evaluate differences between microclimate characters two-way ANOVA-s were used with
Tukey–Kramer post-hoc test. A significance criterion of P<0.05 was used for all statistical tests.
Results are reported as mean ± SD.
Statistical analyses were performed by using STATISTICA 6.0.
Maurycy Ignaczak, Tomasz Postawa 70
Fig. 1. The scheme of the Szachownica
cave (after: Zygmunt, 2016).
Arrows – entrances, dashed line – the
area with dynamic microclimate and
under the threat of collapse.
Location of loggers: 1 – Złomisk hall, 2 –
Przejściowa hall, 3 – Równoległy pas-
sage, 4 – logger outside. Shaded area –
place with the highest number of winter-
ing bats.
Рис. 1. Схема печери «Шаховниця»
(за: Zygmunt, 2016).
Стрілки показують входи, переривчас-
та лінія – територія з динамічним мік-
рокліматом та під загрозою обвалу.
Розташування реєстраторів температу-
ри: 1 – зала «Зломіск», 2 – зала «Пше-
йщова», 3 – прохід «Ровнолеглий», 4 –
реєстратор поза печерою. Заливка
позначає місця найбільшого скупчення
зимуючих кажанів.
Results
Weather conditions
Over the 3 winter seasons, differences were noted in the minimal daily temperature and snow
cover, but not in precipitation. The lowest mean temperatures were recorded in the season 2009/10,
while the remaining hibernation seasons (2014/15 and 2015/16) had similar mean temperatures
(fig. 2). Snow cover was the largest in 2009/10, less in 2014/15, and the smaller in 2015/16 (all dif-
ferences significant). In turn, the precipitation over those three seasons was similar with no signifi-
cant differences (tab. 1).
Cave ambient temperature
Mean daily amplitude of temperatures prevailing outside the cave entrance did not differ signi-
ficantly between seasons (logger 4: F = 0.48, p = 0.62), just as in the Równoległy passage — these
are parts of static microclimate (logger 3: F = 1.14, p = 0.323). Significant differences were found in
Złomisk hall (logger 1: F = 8.61, p = 0.0002) and in Przejściowa hall (logger 2: F = 14.8,
p < 0.0001). In Złomisk hall, the daily amplitude was significantly higher in 2015/16 than during
2009/10 (p = 0.004) and 2014/15 (p = 0.0003) seasons, while seasons 2009/10 and 2014/15 were
similar (0.737). In turn, in Przejściowa hall, the daily amplitude from 2015/16 was significantly
lower than during previous years, both from 2009/10 (p < 0.0001) and 2014/15 (p < 0.0001). The
seasons 2009/10 and 2014/15 did not differ in mean daily amplitude (p = 0.999). In the stable part of
the cave, the Równoległy passage, the daily amplitude did not differ between all seasons.
Minimum daily temperatures were significantly different between the seasons in each location
(tab. 1). The lowest mean temperature outside the cave was noted in season 2009/10 and was lower
from both 2014/15 (p < 0.0001) and 2015/16 (p < 0.0001). In turn, 2014/15 and 2015/16 had similar
mean temperature (p < 0.0001). In Złomisk hall, the highest temperature was noted in 2014/15 and it
was significantly higher than in 2009/10 (p < 0.0001) and 2015/16 (p < 0.0001). In turn, in Prze-
jściowa hall, the lowest minimal temperatures were noted in 2009/10, following by higher in
2014/15, and the highest in 2015/16 with significant differences from all seasons.
A similar pattern was noted for the Równoległy passage (tab. 1).
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter 71
Table 1. Results from ANOVA analyses to compare weather conditions outside of the cave (a) with the temperature
prevailing in the Szachownica cave (b). Logger 1 — Złomisk hall, logger 2 — Przejściowa hall, logger 3 —
Równoległy passage (location marked on fig. 1)
Таблиця 1. Результати дисперсійного аналізу для порівняння погодних умов поза печерою (а) з температу-
рою, що панує в печері «Шаховниця» (b). Реєстратор 1 — зала «Зломіск», реєстратор 2 — зала «Пшейщова»,
реєстратор 3 — прохід «Ровнолеглий» (розташування точок позначено на рис. 1)
Microclimate 2009/2010 2014/15 2015/16
parameters d.f. aver ± SD aver ± SD aver ± SD F p
a) outside of the cave
minimum temperature [C] 2; 267 -5,62±5,530 -2,68±3,796 -2,03±5,228 13,6 <0,00001***
precipitation [mm] 2; 196 1,57±2,487 1,52±2,934 2,26±3,496 1,26 0,285321 ns
snow [cm] 2; 135 14,81±10,520 6,97±4,816 1,93±2,154 29,8 <0,00001***
b) in the Szachownica cave 2; 286
temperature amplitude [C] outside (4) 5,6±4,25 5,2±3,58 5,1±2,85 0,48 0,6186 ns
Logger 1 0,23±0,298 0,26±0,159 0,39±0,345 8,61 0,0002 ***
Logger 2 0,94±0,758 0,94±0,922 0,44±0,420 14,8 <0,00001***
Logger 3 0,09±0,196 0,06±0,085 0,09±0,192 1,14 0,3225 ns
temperature minimum [C] outside (4) -4,06±5,736 -0,22±3,397 -0,19±4,848 21,0 <0,00001 ***
Logger 1 1,65±0,909 3,50±0,613 3,29±0,920 144,2 <0,00001 ***
Logger 2 -0,46±2,762 2,69±1,032 3,61±1,117 131,8 <0,00001 ***
Logger 3 2,71±0,848 5,35±0,392 5,91±0,620 671,1 <0,00001 ***
Bats monitoring
The total number of bats wintering in the Szachownica cave ranged from 1235 in January and
1820 in March 2009/10, followed by 2173 and 2334 in 2014/15 to 2280 and 2534 individuals in
2015/16. For the two most numerous bat species, M. myotis and M. nattereri, a constant trend of
growth in number during both counts in January and March was recorded. For other species, how-
ever, in both terms of counts significant fluctuations of abundance were observed, with the greatest
differences noted for B. barbastellus and P. auritus, while differences for M. mystacinus/brandtii
and M. daubentonii were smaller (fig. 3).
The increase of the number of M. myotis between season 2009/10 and 2014/15 was 56 % for
January counting and 41 % for March counting, and between seasons 2014/15 and 2015/16 was
similar for both counts amounted 19 % and 20 % respectively. A similar pattern was observed for
M. nattereri, where between season 2009/10 and 2014/15 the abundance of this species has in-
creased to a similar extent both for January counts (11 %) and March counts (15 %), while between
season 2014/15 and 2015/16 the increase of abundance was twice higher for January monitoring
(32 %) than for March monitoring (16 %).
Other species showed different trends depending on the date of the winter counts. B. barbastel-
lus between season 2009/10 and 2014/15 showed a 65 % increase in number for the January count
and only 10 % for the March visit, and between winter 2014/15 and 2015/16 a similar decline (48 %
and 38 %) were noted for both counts. On the other hand, between winter 2009/10 and 2015/16,
there was a 34 % increase in number for the January counts, and a 47 % decline for the March
counts. In turn, P. auritus between season 2009/10 and 2014/15 showed a 46 % increase in number
for the January count, and a 82 % decrease in March, while between winter 2014/15 and 2015/16
57 % and 13 % declines were noted, respectively. On the other hand, between winters 2009/10 and
2015/16 there was a 16 % increase in the number of bats in January, while a 52 % decline was noted
for the March counts. For a pair of hardly distinguishable species: M. mystacinus/brandtii, between
season 2009/10 and 2014/15 there was a similar increase in number for January (50 %) and for
March counting’s (57 %), and between winter 2014/15 and 2015/16 for January a slight increase in
number (3 %) was recorded, while in March a slight decline (8 %). For M. daubentonii, between
winter 2009/10 and 2014/15 a 12 % decline for the January counting was noted, while a 43 % in-
Maurycy Ignaczak, Tomasz Postawa 72
crease in number of was found for March monitoring. Between seasons 2014/15 and 2015/16, a 5 %
decline in number was noted in January, and a 29 % decline during March counting.
Discussion
Microclimate
The temperature in the dynamic parts of the Szachownica cave differs between seasons and in
significantly correlated with the outdoor conditions. However, our results in some degree differ from
the previous observations. The amplitude of temperature recorded under the ceiling of the cave, be-
sides the vicinity of the entrance openings, and in the Złomisk hall, and in the Przejściowa hall, is
characterized by small amplitudes and significantly differs from previous microclimatic cave charac-
teristics (Głazek et al., 1978; Polonius, 2001). Differences in the range of climatic zones are the re-
sult of the use of measurements of microclimate parameters at different heights — they were usually
made 0.5 to 1.5 m high above the floor (Piasecki, Kwiatkowski, 1989).
The temperature at bat wintering shelters (crevices) however, is much more modeled by the
rock temperature than by air circulation (Postawa, 2000; authors’ data). This is evident for wintering
species in hidden places and tolerant to significant wintering temperature fluctuations, for which the
termopreferendum is given from –2C for P. auritus (Nagel, Nagel, 1991) and from –3C for
B. barbastellus (Bogdanowicz, Urbańczyk, 1983; Harmata, 1973).
Fig. 2. Two hourly recordings of temperature on data logger (logger 4) at the main entrance of the Szachownica cave
during three winters: 2009/10, 2014/15 and 2015/16. A — monitoring at the end of January, B — monitoring at the
beginning of March.
Рис. 2. Двогодинні записи температури на реєстраторі (реєстратор 4) біля головного входу печери «Шахов-
ниця» протягом трьох зим: 2009/10, 2014/15, 2015/16. А — моніторинг в кінці січня, B — моніторинг на поча-
тку березня.
Fig. 3. Results of bat censuses in the
Szachownica cave during three years
of research.
Рис. 3. Результати обліку кажанів
у печері «Шаховниця» протягом
трьох років дослідження.
Mnat — M. nattereri,
Mmyo — M. myotis,
Bbar — B. barbastellus,
Mmbr — M. mystacinus/brandtii,
Paur — P. auritus,
Mdau — M. daubentonii.
Protection of the Szachownica cave as an example of saving a valuable bat wintering shelter 73
In contradiction to the previous research, in spite of strong frosts in 2009/10 we did not notice
the temperature below 0C in the Złomisk hall (the main wintering location of P. auritus), whereas
in the Przejściowa hall such readings were only 10 % (the main wintering location of B. barbastel-
lus). In the last two winters, we did not recorded temperatures below 0C for both measuring points.
Therefore, in order to characterize fully the microclimate and to reflect the vertical stratification of
the temperature, measurements should be made not only at the level of the floor or up to 1.5 m above
it, but also under the ceiling.
The microclimate of an underground is determined by several parameters such as length, num-
ber of entrances, local habitat (Perry, 2013), and the change of one of them can change the range of
the particular zones, and as a result — affect the fauna of wintering there bats.
As a result of the protection work carried out — the construction of an additional pillar in the
central part of the Przejściowa hall, the air circulation has changed in a certain degree. This is evi-
denced by the higher amplitude of the temperature in the Złomisk hall and smaller in the Przejściowa
hall; such differences in turn were not observed in the static parts. In spite of these differences, how-
ever, there were no changes in the preferences of bat wintering sites within the cave. Moreover, an
additional effect of preventing water penetration from the surface inside the cave is the absence of
ice formation in the central part of the Przejściowa hall, which, in turn, caused mortality of B. barba-
stellus and P. auritus even in mild winters (authors’ data).
Bats
The increase in bat abundance was recorded for the two most numerous species, preferring the
static microclimate: M. myotis and M. nattereri. Continuous increase in both species has been re-
corded since 2000, with relatively large fluctuations both between and within the years (Lesiński et
al., 2011). Minor differences in rates of increase were noted for the pairs of sibling species:
M. mystacinus/brandtii — similar to M. myotis and M. nattereri, these two species in the Szachow-
nica cave usually hibernated in the zone of static microclimate. Therefore, potential impact of cave
ceiling protection for these species is rather insufficient. In turn for B. barbastellus and P. auritus —
species preferring dynamic parts of the cave during hibernation, in the winter 2015/16 (after the car-
ried work) were noted less abundant than in the previous winter but higher than in 2009/10. Both
species are characterized by significant fluctuations in abundance both between seasons and within
the same seasons — up to several hundred of percents (Lesiński et al., 2011). Differences in num-
bers may be the result of: i) population changes, ii) microclimate differences between the years (win-
ter effect), and iii) cave protection effect (last season). In long-term monitoring — over 30 years,
provided in the Szachownica cave, the beginning of the increase of bats abundance was slight, but
since 2000 the increasing tendency seems to be faster for M. myotis, M. nattereri, M. brandtii/mys-
tacinus, B. barbastellus and P. auritus but not for M. daubentonii (Lesiński et al., 2011; Ignaczak,
Lesiński, 2012). These trends could be partly explained by the colonization by bats of a new winter
roost, however in other large winter shelters we noted similar rate of increase (Fuszara et al., 2010)
and not only in Poland (Uhrin et al., 2010; Haysom et al., 2014; Van der Meij et al., 2015).
The abundance of all numerous wintering bat species however is subjected to considerable fluc-
tuations. It is larger in species with a broader thermopreferendum: B. barbastellus and P. auritus,
and smaller in species wintering under stable conditions: M. myotis, M. nattereri, M. brandtii/mysta-
cinus and M. daubentonii (Lesiński, 1986; Nagel, Nagel, 1991; Postawa, 2000). The reason for the
differences in the number of bats both between seasons and within the season appears to be the con-
ditions outside the cave; however, their impact seems to be species-specific. The largest fluctuation
was noted in sedentary bat species, but with wider toleration for temperature amplitude. These two
species can use less isolated shelters during warmer days in winter and more hidden during heavy
frosts (Harmata, 1973; Lesiński, 1986). In turn, species that hibernate in static zones (with slight
annual amplitude of temperature) migrated to the Szachownica cave from a distance even 90 km far
(Wojtaszyn et al., 2010). It is possible that fluctuation in bats abundance between seasons may be
caused by climatic variations during migration from breeding/swarming sites to wintering places;
however, this hypothesis requires additional research.
Maurycy Ignaczak, Tomasz Postawa 74
Finally, the potential cause for the lower abundance of B. barbastellus and P. auritus could be
the effect of microclimate changes due to ceiling protection. However, this hypothesis seems to be
the least possible — until now in both the abundance and distribution of wintering species in the
Szachownica cave greater variations were noted (Ignaczak, Lesiński, 2012).
To assess fully the impact of changes, monitoring of bat fauna and microclimate will be contin-
ued during the next several years, with detailed analyses of the influence of weather factors such as
the rain, snow, and temperature below 0C.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the project LIFE12 NAT/PL/000012: “Carrying out necessary
conservation work on a territory of Szachownica designated Natura 2000”. The project is co-
financed with the European Union funds under the financial instrument LIFE+ and the National
Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management. Co-ordinating beneficiary: Regional
Directorate for Environmental Protection in Katowice, Poland.
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