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Russo-Petrick K, Root KV. Factors impacting bat activity and species richness in protected parks in the oak openings region of Northwest Ohio. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 72:1086-1098. [PMID: 37368019 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-023-01849-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Protected areas are important for wildlife, especially in heavily developed areas. Bats are one group utilizing protected areas, but it is unclear what makes an ideal place for bats to live in parks, especially since preferences vary between open and forest foraging species and at different scales. The main objective of this study was to determine the landscape and vegetation factors at multiple scales most associated with higher bat activity and species richness in protected parks. Total bat activity, species richness, and activity for open and forested foraging species were compared to small-scale data vegetation structure collected in the field and larger-scale landscape data calculated in ArcGIS and FRAGSTATS. Bat activity and species richness increased with higher percentages of dry and open land cover types such as sand barrens, savanna, cropland, and upland prairie and decreased with higher percentages of forest and wet prairies. Patch richness, understory height, and clutter at the 3-6.5 m level were negatively associated with total bat activity. The most important variables for bats differed depending on spatial scale measured and if species were open or forest adapted. When managing for bats in parks, it would be advantageous to restore open land cover types such as savanna and mid-level clutter, and excessive fragmentation. Whether species are open or forest adapted and scale-specific differences should also be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly Russo-Petrick
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA.
| | - Karen V Root
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403, USA
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Gorman KM, Barr EL, Nocera T, Ford WM. Characteristics of Day-Roosts Used by Northern Long-Eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis) in Coastal New York. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2022. [DOI: 10.1656/045.029.0201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine M. Gorman
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 149 Cheatham Hall, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
| | - Elaine L. Barr
- Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 3982 Waverly Road, Williamstown, WV 26187
| | - Tomás Nocera
- US Army Garrison Fort Belvoir, Directorate of Public Works: Environmental Division, 9430 Jackson Loop, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060
| | - W. Mark Ford
- US Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 106 Cheatham Hall, 310 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24061
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Unique Land Cover Classification to Assess Day-Roost Habitat Selection of Northern Long-Eared Bats on the Coastal Plain of North Carolina, USA. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13050792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Reproductively successful and over-wintering populations of the endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) have recently been discovered on the Coastal Plain of North Carolina. Empirical data on resource selection within the region is limited, likely hindering management of these coastal forests. Our objectives were to determine roosting home range size, selection of day-roost tree species, second- and third-order roosting habitat selection, and to quantify the overall availability of resources in the surrounding landscape. We found core and peripheral roosting home range estimates were large, yet similar to observations from other areas of contiguous forests. Prior to juvenile volancy, female northern long-eared bats appear to select red maple (Acer rubrum), water ash (Fraxinus caroliniana), and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) as day-roosts, but then use sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), swamp bay (Persea palustris), and water tupelo (Nyssa aquatica) after juvenile volancy. At the second-order spatial scale, roosting home ranges were associated with woody wetlands farther from anthropogenic development and open water. However, within the third-order scale, northern long-eared bats were associated with undeveloped woody wetlands and upland forests, areas containing shorter trees and occurring proximal to open water. Peripheral and core areas were predicted to comprise approximately 20% of the local landscape. Our results show that complex and large tracts of woody wetlands juxtaposed with upland forests in this part of the Coastal Plain may be important for northern long-eared bats locally, results largely consistent with species management efforts in eastern North America.
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Gorman KM, Deeley SM, Barr EL, Freeze SR, Kalen N, Muthersbaugh MS, Ford WM. Broad-scale geographic and temporal assessment of northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colony-landscape association. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2022. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
As the federally threatened northern long-eared bat Myotis septentrionalis continues to decline due to white-nose syndrome (WNS) impacts, the application of effective conservation measures is needed but often hindered by the lack of ecological data. To date, recommended management practices have been adopted in part from other federally listed sympatric species such as the endangered Indiana bat M. sodalis. During the maternity season, these measures have largely focused on conservation of known day-roost habitat, often with little consideration for foraging habitat, particularly riparian areas. We examined acoustic activity of northern long-eared bats relative to day-roost and capture data at coastal and interior sites in the District of Columbia, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia, USA, over the course of 6 summers (2015-�2020), where maternity activity was still documented after the initial arrival and spread of WNS. Acoustic activity of northern long-eared bats relative to forest cover decreased at the acoustic site level (fine scale) but increased at the sampling region level (coarse scale). We observed a positive association of northern long-eared bat acoustic activity with riparian areas. Additionally, we observed higher levels of activity during pregnancy through early lactation period of the reproductive cycle prior to juvenile volancy. Our findings suggest the need for more explicit inclusion of forested riparian habitats in northern long-eared bat conservation planning. Acoustic sampling in spring and early summer rather than mid- to late summer and in forested riparian areas is the most effective strategy for identifying potential active northern long-eared bat maternity colonies on the local landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- KM Gorman
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - SM Deeley
- Office of Research and Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC 20004, USA
| | - EL Barr
- Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 3982 Waverly Road, Williamstown, WV 26187, USA
| | - SR Freeze
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - N Kalen
- Conservation Management Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - MS Muthersbaugh
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, NC 29631, USA
| | - WM Ford
- US Geological Survey, Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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Brewer CT, Rauch-Davis WA, Fraser EE. The Use of Intrinsic Markers for Studying the Migratory Movements of Bats. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:3477. [PMID: 34944252 PMCID: PMC8698158 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality of migratory bat species at wind energy facilities is a well-documented phenomenon, and mitigation and management are partially constrained by the current limited knowledge of bat migratory movements. Analyses of biochemical signatures in bat tissues ("intrinsic markers") can provide information about the migratory origins of individual bats. Many tissue samples for intrinsic marker analysis may be collected from living and dead bats, including carcasses collected at wind energy facilities. In this paper, we review the full suite of available intrinsic marker analysis techniques that may be used to study bat migration, with the goal of summarizing the current literature and highlighting knowledge gaps and opportunities. We discuss applications of the stable isotopes of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur; radiogenic strontium isotopes; trace elements and contaminants; and the combination of these markers with each other and with other extrinsic markers. We further discuss the tissue types that may be analyzed for each and provide a synthesis of the generalized workflow required to link bats to origins using intrinsic markers. While stable hydrogen isotope techniques have clearly been the leading approach to infer migratory bat movement patterns across the landscape, here we emphasize a variety of lesser used intrinsic markers (i.e., strontium, trace elements, contaminants) that may address new study areas or answer novel research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Erin E. Fraser
- School of Science and the Environment, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 20 University Drive, Corner Brook, NL A2H 5G4, Canada; (C.T.B.); (W.A.R.-D.)
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Solick DI, Newman CM. Oceanic records of North American bats and implications for offshore wind energy development in the United States. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14433-14447. [PMID: 34765117 PMCID: PMC8571582 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Offshore wind energy is a growing industry in the United States, and renewable energy from offshore wind is estimated to double the country's total electricity generation. There is growing concern that land-based wind development in North America is negatively impacting bat populations, primarily long-distance migrating bats, but the impacts to bats from offshore wind energy are unknown. Bats are associated with the terrestrial environment, but have been observed over the ocean. In this review, we synthesize historic and contemporary accounts of bats observed and acoustically recorded in the North American marine environment to ascertain the spatial and temporal distribution of bats flying offshore. We incorporate studies of offshore bats in Europe and of bat behavior at land-based wind energy studies to examine how offshore wind development could impact North American bat populations. We find that most offshore bat records are of long-distance migrating bats and records occur during autumn migration, the period of highest fatality rates for long-distance migrating bats at land-based wind facilities in North America. We summarize evidence that bats may be attracted to offshore turbines, potentially increasing their exposure to risk of collision. However, higher wind speeds offshore can potentially reduce the amount of time that bats are exposed to risk. We identify knowledge gaps and hypothesize that a combination of operational minimization strategies may be the most effective approach for reducing impacts to bats and maximizing offshore energy production.
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Bat activity patterns relative to temporal and weather effects in a temperate coastal environment. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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Barr EL, Silvis A, Armstrong MP, Ford WM. White‐nose Syndrome and Environmental Correlates to Landscape‐Scale Bat Presence. WILDLIFE SOC B 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/wsb.1215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elaine L. Barr
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge Williamstown WV 26187
| | | | - Mike P. Armstrong
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Kentucky Ecological Services Field Office Frankfort KY 40601
| | - W. Mark Ford
- U.S. Geological Survey Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Blacksburg VA 24061
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Abstract
The recent introduction of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (the fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome in bats) from Eurasia to North America has resulted in the collapse of North American bat populations and restructured species communities. The long evolutionary history between P. destructans and bats in Eurasia makes understanding host life history essential to uncovering the ecology of P. destructans. In this Review, we combine information on pathogen and host biology to understand the patterns of P. destructans spread, seasonal transmission ecology, the pathogenesis of white-nose syndrome and the cross-scale impact from individual hosts to ecosystems. Collectively, this research highlights how early pathogen detection and quantification of host impacts has accelerated the understanding of this newly emerging infectious disease.
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