(This is the text of a press release dated 23/07/2008 copied from http://www.environ.ie/en/Heritage/NationalParksandWildlife/Biodiversity/News/MainBody,17902,en.htm)

A new Centre for Irish Bat Research has been opened in University College Dublin, with funding from the National Parks & Wildlife Service. Over the next three years this new research unit will examine the ecology of three of our more elusive bat species. These three bats - Brandt's bat, Whiskered bat and Natterer's bat – are woodland specialists, but are difficult to survey and difficult to tell apart. Consequently we know little about their ecology, habits or population biology in this country.

John Gormley TD, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government welcomed this initiative:
“We have both national and international obligations to protect our bat species” he said “and before we can protect them effectively we need to understand their ecology and their habits.”

Dr Emma Teeling in UCD will be Director of the new Centre. She has brought together a strong team of co-researchers from UCD and Queens University Belfast to carry out the work:
 " Our team represents a whole island approach” said Dr Teeling “and combines geneticists, conservation biologists, ecologists and bat field experts together.”

Dr Teeling went on to explain the importance of this research:
“Bats are highly sensitive to habitat and climate change and play a vital role in the functioning of Ireland's ecosystems. They help maintain and regulate Ireland's insect populations, which are in turn necessary for the pollination of plants and some crops. Irish bats are also frontier species at the most north-westerly part of their geographic range. They may even be distinct species with unique genetic components and evolutionary histories. Only through the combination of new forsenic DNA methods, modern field techniques, cutting edge ecological methodologies and non-invasive sampling protocols that will be used by our team, can we uncover their unique biology and thus conserve our ecosystems. We are delighted to have the support from the NPWS which will underpin this research over the next three years."

Minister Gormley also wished the research team well with their work:
“I congratulate Dr Teeling and her team on being awarded this funding from my Department and I hope that the new Centre for Irish Bat Research will go on to stimulate further research and interest in Irish bats” 

Notes for editors
There are 10 different bat species in Ireland; all 10 are protected under the E.U. Habitats Directive and Ireland’s Wildlife Acts.

The research agreement Between UCD and the NPWS will last for three years and is worth €687,000.

The research will focus on Natterer’s bat Myotis nattereri, Whiskered bat Myotis mystacinus and Brandt’s bat Myotis brandti. 

The three year programme of research will focus on the ecology of Brandt's bat, Whiskered bat and Natterer's bat in Ireland and, in particular, the following areas:
· roosting behaviour
· breeding patterns (including the use of swarming sites)
· niche partitioning
· feeding ecology
· the use of tree roosts
· conservation status monitoring methodologies

The Natterer’s, Whiskered and Brandt’s bats are all insect feeding echolocating bats from the family Vespertilionidae. With Daubenton’s bat, they constitute the most speciose Irish genus (Myotis) and add significantly to the overall richness of bat communities in certain areas. They are considered as woodland species.

Natterer’s bat is widespread throughout the country, while Whiskered and Brandt’s bats are recorded infrequently and sparsely.

The Brandt’s bat has only recently been identified in Ireland.  A lone potential 'Brandt's bat' suspect was firstly found in Glendalough in 2003. However as Brandt's and Whiskered bats look identical in the hand, only recently has the species identity been verified using molecular forensic techniques in Dr. Emma Teeling's laboratory.

A recent survey reported that there are only 66 documented Natterer's bat roosts in Ireland with 17 containing ten or more bats. Likewise, only 45 Whiskered bat roosts have been documented with only ten containing ten or more individuals Potentially some of these roosts could have been misidentified and are Brandt's bat roosts, given the species identification difficulties as described above.
The roosting behaviour, breeding patterns, spatial niche partitioning and feeding ecology of these species are unknown in Ireland. Furthermore, unlike the other seven species of Irish bat, there are no accurate estimates of population size, population trends or detailed information of habitat use for these species. Finally, the locations of hibernacula, swarming sites, or potential migratory routes are still unidentified.

Of the estimated 5000 species of living mammals, bats (Order Chiroptera) account for at least one fifth. There are over 1,100 recognised species of bats currently found throughout the globe, being absent only from the extreme polar-regions.

Currently, there are approximately thirty-five terrestrial species of mammals in Ireland of which ten are bats.

Team members:
Director: Dr. Emma Teeling , UCD
Prof. Tom Hayden, Dr. Emma Boston, Daniel Buckley (PhD student)-UCD
Prof. Ian Montgomery, Dr. Paulo Prodöhl, Dr. Mathieu Lundy, David Scott (PhD student) -Queen's University Belfast
Dr. Ferdia Marnell -NPWS

Collaborators:
Bat Conservation Ireland
Dr. Jon Russ

For further information on the Centre for Irish Bat Research contact:

Dr Emma Teeling
Director
Centre for Irish Bat Research
UCD
01-7162263
Emma.Teeling@ucd.ie

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