Manage livestock water troughs as a drinking resource for bats

Overall effectiveness category Likely to be beneficial
Number of studies: 2
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

67%
Certainty

45%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Livestock water troughs can provide water sources for bats, particularly in arid areas. Modifications to water troughs that prevent livestock from damaging or entering them, such as wires and braces across the water surface, may injure bats or prevent them from drinking. Removing livestock modifications, keeping water troughs full and managing surrounding vegetation may increase the use of troughs by bats. Carefully designed escape structures may also prevent downed bats from drowning (e.g. see Taylor & Tuttle 2012).

For studies that avoid illuminating livestock water troughs, see ‘Avoid illumination of bat foraging, drinking, and swarming sites’. For studies that create water sources on farmland and in other habitats, see ‘Create artificial water sources’.

Taylor D.A.R & Tuttle M.D. (2012) Water for Wildlife: A handbook for ranchers and range managers. Bat Conservation International, Austin, Texas, USA.

Study locations

Key messages

Two studies evaluated the effects of managing livestock water troughs as a drinking resource for bats. Both studies were in the USA.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

POPULATION RESPONSE (0 STUDIES)

BEHAVIOUR (2 STUDIES)

Use (2 studies): One replicated, paired sites study in the USA found that removing livestock modifications from water troughs resulted in bats drinking from them more frequently. One paired sites study in the USA found that livestock water tanks that were larger, full of water or surrounded by sparse vegetation had more bats drinking from them than smaller, half full tanks surrounded by no or dense vegetation.
Behaviour change (1 study): One replicated, paired sites study in the USA found that when livestock modifications were removed from water troughs, bats approached troughs fewer times before successfully drinking from them.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated, paired sites study in 2004 of four pairs of water troughs in northern Arizona, USA (Tuttle et al 2006) found that removing livestock modifications from water troughs resulted in bats drinking from them more frequently. More bats reached the water surface at unmodified troughs than modified troughs during both single approaches (unmodified: 71% of bats; modified: 25%) and multiple approaches (unmodified: 97%; modified: 61%). Bats also approached unmodified troughs fewer times before successfully drinking than at modified troughs (unmodified: average 0.3 times; modified: 1.8 times). Three experiments were carried out at a pair of rectangular troughs (surface area 7.5 m²) and one experiment at a pair of circular troughs (surface area 4.7 m²). One trough in each pair had modifications installed with either a 3-strand barbed wire fence across the centre or boards at 100 cm intervals, the other was left unmodified. Troughs were filmed simultaneously for 1–5 nights in May–August 2004. Modifications were then switched to the unmodified trough and filming was repeated.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Tuttle S.R., Chambers C.L. & Theimer T.C. (2006) Potential effects of livestock water-trough modifications on bats in northern Arizona. Wildlife Society Bulletin, 34, 602-608.
A paired sites study in 2008 in a semi-arid area of Texas, USA (Jackrel & Matlack 2010) found that livestock water tanks that were larger, full of water or surrounded by sparse vegetation had more bats drinking from them than smaller, half full tanks surrounded by no or dense vegetation. More bats drank from tanks that were larger (30 bats), full of water (20 bats) or surrounded by sparse vegetation (15 bats) compared to tanks that were smaller (0 bats), half full of water (0 bats) or surrounded by no vegetation (2 bats) or dense vegetation (0 bats). Four pairs of galvanized livestock water tanks (1.2, 1.8 or 3 m diameter, 0.6 m high) were deployed (spaced 80 m apart) for two nights each. Each pair tested one of four treatments: tank size (3-m diameter tank vs 1.2-m diameter tank), water level (full tank vs half full tank), sparse vegetation (one tank with salt cedar Tamarix spp. branches tied around the perimeter with some gaps, the other with no vegetation), dense vegetation (one tank with dense salt cedar branches tied around the perimeter, the other with no vegetation). Treatments were switched within each pair between the two nights. Bat activity was recorded using night-vision video cameras and infra-red lights for 160 minutes/night after sunset at each of the eight tanks in June–August 2008. Bats were not identified to species.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Jackrel S.L. & Matlack R.S. (2010) Influence of surface area, water level and adjacent vegetation on bat use of artificial water sources. American Midland Naturalist, 164, 74-79.

Please cite as:

Berthinussen, A., Richardson O.C. and Altringham J.D. (2021) Bat Conservation: Global Evidence for the Effects of Interventions. Conservation Evidence Series Synopses. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bat Conservation

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