| Summary: | Agricultural intensification and homogenization of land use are known to have a negative impact on biodiversity. Bat
activity was monitored in five land use types that included paddy fields, field crops, forests, settlements, and water bodies from
November 2015 to October 2016 in central Thailand. We recorded 37,610 one-minute intervals with bat calls and 623 feeding
buzzes that represented 16 bat species. Bat foraging activity was dominated by open space and edge species. Bat activity was
significantly higher over water bodies but was not correlated with insect biomass. There was a significantly higher bat activity
index (two-fold) in the hot-dry season than at other times, especially over water bodies. This pattern was obvious in Myotis
siligorensis, Taphozous melanopogon, and Chaerephon plicatus. High feeding activity during the hot-dry season could reflect
higher nutrient and water demand of lactating females. Maintaining water bodies and forest patches in farmland is important for
bat conservation.
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