The Schreiber’s bat, Miniopterus schreibersii, is adapted to long-distance flight, yet long distance movements have only been recorded sporadically using capture-mark-recapture. In this study, we used the hydrogen isotopic composition of 208 wing and 335 fur specimens from across the species' European range to test the hypothesis that the species migrates over long distances. After obtaining the hydrogen isotopic composition (δ2H) of each sample, we performed geographic assignment tests by comparing the δ2H of samples with the δ2H of sampling sites. We found that 95 bats out of 325 showed evidence of long-distance movement, based on the analysis of either fur or wing samples. The eastern European part of the species range (Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia) had the highest numbers of bats that had moved. The assignment tests also helped identify possible migratory routes, such as movement between the Alps and the Balkans. This is the first continental-scale study to provide evidence of migratory behaviour of M. schreibersii throughout its European range. The work highlights the need for further investigation of this behaviour to provide appropriate conservation strategies.

中文翻译：

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氢同位素揭示了欧洲小翅目迁徙的证据

Schreiber的蝙蝠Miniopterus schreibersii适用于长距离飞行，但长距离运动只是使用捕获标记捕获来偶尔记录的。在这项研究中，我们使用了该物种欧洲范围内208个机翼和335个毛皮标本的氢同位素组成来检验该物种长距离迁移的假说。在获得每个样品的氢同位素组成（δ2H）之后，我们通过比较样品的δ2H和采样点的δ2H进行了地理赋值测试。根据对毛皮或机翼样本的分析，我们发现325头中的95头蝙蝠显示出长距离运动的证据。该物种范围的东欧部分（希腊，保加利亚和塞尔维亚）移动的蝙蝠数量最多。作业测试还有助于确定可能的迁徙路线，例如阿尔卑斯山和巴尔干半岛之间的移动。这是第一项在整个欧洲范围内提供施氏梭菌迁徙行为证据的大陆规模研究。这项工作强调需要对此行为进行进一步调查，以提供适当的保护策略。