Presence Only Habitat Suitability Model of Northern Long-eared Bat Maternity Roosts in a Managed Central Hardwood Forest

Presence Only Habitat Suitability Model of Northern Long-eared Bat Maternity Roosts in a Managed Central Hardwood Forest PDF Author: Jocelyn R. Karsk
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ISBN:
Category : Northern long-eared myotis
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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This study presents the findings of a habitat suitability model for the northern long-eared bat maternity roosting habitat (Myotis septentrionalis) in a three-county region in southern Indiana. The northern long-eared bat was added to the endangered species list in 2015 and understanding its' habitat selection at the landscape scale is important to aid in minimizing population declines. Female northern long-eared bats were captured and fitted with transmitters in Morgan Monroe and Yellowwood state forests during the 2012-2015 summer maternity season. These bats were tracked to day roosts where location and habitat information was recorded. We used ArcMap to plot roost tree locations and extract landscape-level environmental variables. MaxEnt was used to evaluate which environmental variables of interest were of greatest importance to northern long-eared bats in our study. Our final model included a map indicating areas most suitable to northern long-eared bats. Our model indicated that elevation, distance to roads, and distance to regeneration openings had the most influence on which habitats bats used for roosting.

Presence Only Habitat Suitability Model of Northern Long-eared Bat Maternity Roosts in a Managed Central Hardwood Forest

Presence Only Habitat Suitability Model of Northern Long-eared Bat Maternity Roosts in a Managed Central Hardwood Forest PDF Author: Jocelyn R. Karsk
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Northern long-eared myotis
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This study presents the findings of a habitat suitability model for the northern long-eared bat maternity roosting habitat (Myotis septentrionalis) in a three-county region in southern Indiana. The northern long-eared bat was added to the endangered species list in 2015 and understanding its' habitat selection at the landscape scale is important to aid in minimizing population declines. Female northern long-eared bats were captured and fitted with transmitters in Morgan Monroe and Yellowwood state forests during the 2012-2015 summer maternity season. These bats were tracked to day roosts where location and habitat information was recorded. We used ArcMap to plot roost tree locations and extract landscape-level environmental variables. MaxEnt was used to evaluate which environmental variables of interest were of greatest importance to northern long-eared bats in our study. Our final model included a map indicating areas most suitable to northern long-eared bats. Our model indicated that elevation, distance to roads, and distance to regeneration openings had the most influence on which habitats bats used for roosting.

Development of landscape-level habitat suitability models for ten wildlife species in the central hardwoods region

Development of landscape-level habitat suitability models for ten wildlife species in the central hardwoods region PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Habitat (Ecology)
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Context-dependent Selection and Temporal Use of Roost-sites by Female Northern Long-eared Bats

Context-dependent Selection and Temporal Use of Roost-sites by Female Northern Long-eared Bats PDF Author: Ellen M. Whittle
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ISBN:
Category : Bats
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Delineating habitat preferences, especially those of imperiled species, is critical to ensure that species have access to resources needed to persist. In addition to overall preferences, establishing the phenology of sensitive periods such as reproduction can be challenging for small, cryptic species such as bats. We conducted an empirical study in northeast Wyoming, USA, to characterize the habitat selection of northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis). Objectives in Chapter 1 were to (1) characterize the maternity roost-site preferences of endangered northern long-eared bats in a peripheral population occurring within a forest managed for timber harvest, and (2) determine whether roost-site preferences and switching were modulated by weather conditions. Chapter 2 objectives were (1) to assess whether maternity roost trees of northern long-eared bats are used for multiple years in northeast Wyoming; (2) to determine whether intra-seasonal occupation of maternity roosts in northeast Wyoming matches the timing of seasonal protections for northern long-eared bats; and (3) to assess the efficacy of motion-triggered game cameras for determining occupancy of maternity roosts. In our first chapter, we found that bats were more likely to select quaking aspens, snags, and trees relatively large in diameter; however, these preferences were modulated by daily weather conditions and reproductive state. Bats roosted more often in pine at warm temperatures and while lactating, and in snags when solar radiation was high and precipitation low. Bats preferred forest patches with higher canopy cover and a larger proportion of snags. In our second chapter, we documented colony occupation at maternity roosts across multiple years and outside of the protected season of June—July. We also recorded rarely documented behaviors, including pup carrying, with motion-triggered game cameras. Our findings provide guidance on habitat types that would be beneficial to conserve for northern long-eared bat populations, and more broadly, that context-dependence is an important consideration for habitat-selection studies. Peripheral populations may be critical for future recovery of declining species; however, seasonal protections against habitat disturbance may be mismatched with the phenology of populations at range edges.

Maternity Roost Selection of Indiana Bats (myotis Sodalis) and Occupancy of Two Threatened Myotine Bat Species on National Wildlife Refuges in Northern Missouri

Maternity Roost Selection of Indiana Bats (myotis Sodalis) and Occupancy of Two Threatened Myotine Bat Species on National Wildlife Refuges in Northern Missouri PDF Author: Dane A. Smith
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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North American bat species face a range of environmental stressors which have negatively impacted recovery of the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and led to inclusion of the northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) as a federally threatened species. Historic threats like disturbance of winter hibernacula and habitat loss continue to imperil both species, but the introduction of the fungal disease white-nose syndrome (WNS) into North America in 2006 resulted in substantial population declines in several species of Myotine bats in the eastern and central portions of the United States. Prior to the emergence of WNS, M. septentrionalis populations were estimated in the millions, and the rangewide M. sodalis population had experienced almost a decade of steady recovery. However, since the onset of WNS, M. sodalis populations have declined steadily and M. septentrionalis now faces extirpation from much of its range. Additionally, the development of wind power facilities across large portions of the central U.S. has increased the likelihood that critical habitat will be lost or fragmented and pose a new threat of large-scale mortality caused by collisions between bats and turbine blades. Objectives of this study were to 1) quantify maternity habitat characteristics of the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) in northern Missouri to identify factors that drive selection and 2) identify local- and landscape-scale habitat characteristics associated with occupancy of M. sodalis and M. septentrionalis. To identify drivers of maternity roost selection of M. sodalis in Northern Missouri, we used mist nets to capture pregnant and lactating females during the summers of 2017 and 2018 and applied radio transmitters to individuals with sufficient body mass. We tracked 24 M. sodalis for an average of 5.8 days and identified 21 roost trees. We conducted emergence counts at each roost to classify them as primary or alternate and collected habitat data for each tree and the surrounding area. We then collected the same habitat data at available roosts and used discrete choice models to compare selected roosts with available trees within the study area. The top ranked model for primary roosts included tree diameter (DBH), tree height, and canopy cover while the top ranked model for alternate roosts included DBH, snag basal area, and canopy cover. Our results indicate that the probability of primary roost selection was greatest for trees with DBH ~ 50 cm and height of ~ 17 m. Roost site selection probability decreased with canopy closure, falling to 0 above ~ 75% closure. The probability of selection for alternate roosts was associated with greater canopy closure (~ 75%), smaller trees (~ 35 cm) and was positively associated with snag basal area. Land managers who wish to promote maternity habitat for M. sodalis could preserve existing snags, implement techniques to create new large-diameter snags, and, when possible, acquire additional bottomland hardwood forests to ensure the availability of an extensive network of available roost trees. To identify the local- and landscape-scale factors associated with occupancy of M. sodalis and M. septentrionalis, we used ANABAT SD1 acoustic detectors to record the echolocation calls of passing bats at 87 sites during the maternity seasons of 2017 and 2018. We deployed three detectors at each site for a minimum of two consecutive nights and recorded a total of 581 detector nights. Calls were identified to species, and detection histories of M. sodalis and M. septentrionalis were used to develop single-season occupancy models which used environmental covariates to estimate the probability of detecting each target species and evaluated the effects of local and landscape habitat characteristics on occupancy probability. The top detection model for M. sodalis included minimum temperature, barometric pressure, average wind speed, and moon minutes. The top detection model for M. septentrionalis included amount of precipitation. Our models indicate that the primary drivers of M. sodalis occupancy were percent of landscape (3 km) composed of wooded wetlands, distance to nearest wooded wetland, forest connectivity, forest shape, and wetland connectivity. Occupancy was positively associated with the proportion of wooded wetlands on the landscape, forest shape, and wetland connectivity and negatively associated with distance to nearest wooded wetland, forest connectivity, and proportion of forest on the landscape. The primary factors associated with M. septentrionalis occupancy were proportion of wooded wetlands on the landscape and wetland connectivity. Occupancy was positively associated with proportion of wooded wetlands and negatively associated with the degree to which wetlands were connected. We recommend land managers preserve riparian forest habitat and enact measures to reduce clutter and stem density in upland forests to improve overall habitat suitability and increase the likelihood that forests in this region can support foraging Myotis bats.

Habitat Selection and Roosting Ranges of Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis Septentrionalis) in an Experimental Hardwood Forest System

Habitat Selection and Roosting Ranges of Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis Septentrionalis) in an Experimental Hardwood Forest System PDF Author: Holly A. Badin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Northern long-eared myotis
Languages : en
Pages : 90

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Review of the Forest Habitat Relationships of the Indiana Bat (Myotis Sodalis)

Review of the Forest Habitat Relationships of the Indiana Bat (Myotis Sodalis) PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bats
Languages : en
Pages : 28

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Roosting and Habitat Use by Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat and Other Species in a Bottomland Hardwood Forest Ecosystem

Roosting and Habitat Use by Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat and Other Species in a Bottomland Hardwood Forest Ecosystem PDF Author: Shawn McClain Cochran
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ISBN:
Category : Bats
Languages : en
Pages : 100

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Roosting Ecology of a Declining Population of Northern Long-eared Bats (myotis Septentrionalis) in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest of Arkansas

Roosting Ecology of a Declining Population of Northern Long-eared Bats (myotis Septentrionalis) in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest of Arkansas PDF Author: Kyle Norris Edmonds
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forest ecology
Languages : en
Pages : 121

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Ecological and monetary values associated with bat species are immense. Unfortunately, these benefits are at risk as disease and habitat loss have resulted in significant declines of bat populations throughout the eastern United States. Wildlife biologists and managers work tirelessly to combat the effects of these threats. Collections of species-level data during surveys provide managers with invaluable information that can be used in identification of emerging population trends. This material can then be used to generate new habitat management plans or revise existing plans in order to addresss the objectives of primary management goals. This thesis outlines anthropogenic factors, interspecific competition, habitat loss and degradation, and accelerated disease transmission as possible explanations for the declining population trend of northern long-eared bats.

Bat Habitat Use and Roost Tree Selection for Northern Long-eared Myotus (Myotis Septentrionalis) in North-Central Ohio

Bat Habitat Use and Roost Tree Selection for Northern Long-eared Myotus (Myotis Septentrionalis) in North-Central Ohio PDF Author: Timothy J. Krynak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Animals
Languages : en
Pages : 83

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Roosting Behavior, Habitat Use, and Relative Abundance of the Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis Septentrionalis) Following Arrival of White-nose Syndrome to Mammoth Cave National Park

Roosting Behavior, Habitat Use, and Relative Abundance of the Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis Septentrionalis) Following Arrival of White-nose Syndrome to Mammoth Cave National Park PDF Author: Marissa Michelle Thalken
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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