Presence, Relative Abundance, and Resource Selection of Bats in Managed Forest Landscapes in Western Oregon

Presence, Relative Abundance, and Resource Selection of Bats in Managed Forest Landscapes in Western Oregon PDF Author: Edward B. Arnett
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Eptesicus
Languages : en
Pages : 446

Book Description
I studied presence, relative abundance, and resource selection of bats in managed Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests in western Oregon from May through September, 1999-2001. Species richness was not related to elevation, density of snags, or length of edge or perennial streams in sampled landscapes. I captured bats more frequently in landscapes with moderate to high densities of snags and sex ratios were skewed toward males, especially in snag-rich landscapes at higher elevations. Elevation generally was negatively related to captures of female bats. I determined use of day roosts by female and male long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis), female long-legged myotis (Myotis volans), and female big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Relative to random structures, all three species used snags that had less canopy closure, more adjacent snags, and were closer to the edge of the stand. Diameter of snags was an important variable differentiating roost and random snags used by big brown bats and long-legged myotis. I found considerable overlap in structural and contextual characteristics of snags and trees used as roosts among the three species of bats. My findings provide evidence that females of sympatric species of bats may alter their choices of roosts when co-existing in landscapes with low densities of snags. Female and male long-eared myotis primarily used stumps and down logs in landscapes with low densities of snags, while using snags more frequently in landscapes with high snag densities. I found that tree species and structural characteristics of snags, stumps, and logs used as roosts generally were similar between female and male long-eared myotis and that context variables (e.g., elevation) best differentiated use of structures between sexes. Failure to account for differences in use of roosts among species, between sexes, and among landscapes with varied conditions could lead to erroneous conclusions and ineffective or inappropriate management recommendations. Elevational gradients and densities of snags are important factors to consider when developing snag and green tree retention strategies for bats in this region. Forest management practices that retain and create large snags in landscapes currently with low densities of snags would benefit female bats, especially at lower elevations.

Bats in Forests

Bats in Forests PDF Author: Michael J. Lacki
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 080189168X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
Although bats are often thought of as cave dwellers, many species depend on forests for all or part of the year. Of the 45 species of bats in North America, more than half depend on forests, using the bark of trees, tree cavities, or canopy foliage as roosting sites. Over the past two decades it has become increasingly clear that bat conservation and management are strongly linked to the health of forests within their range. Initially driven by concern for endangered species—the Indiana bat, for example—forest ecologists, timber managers, government agencies, and conservation organizations have been altering management plans and silvicultural practices to better accommodate bat species. Bats in Forests presents the work of a variety of experts who address many aspects of the ecology and conservation of bats. The chapter authors describe bat behavior, including the selection of roosts, foraging patterns, and seasonal migration as they relate to forests. They also discuss forest management and its influence on bat habitat. Both public lands and privately owned forests are considered, as well as techniques for monitoring bat populations and activity. The important role bats play in the ecology of forests—from control of insects to nutrient recycling—is revealed by a number of authors. Bat ecologists, bat conservationists, forest ecologists, and forest managers will find in this book an indispensable synthesis of the topics that concern them.

Dissertation Abstracts International

Dissertation Abstracts International PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 902

Book Description


Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats

Ecological and Behavioral Methods for the Study of Bats PDF Author: Thomas H. Kunz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 930

Book Description
Thomas H. Kunz is a professor of biology and director of the Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology at Boston University. He is the editor of Bat Biology and Conservation and Bat Ecology. Stuart Parsons is a senior lecturer in biological sciences at the University of Auckland, New Zealand -- Jacket.

Multi-scale Factors Related to Abundance of Bats and Insect Prey in Savannas, Woodlands, and Forests in the Ozark Highlands, USA

Multi-scale Factors Related to Abundance of Bats and Insect Prey in Savannas, Woodlands, and Forests in the Ozark Highlands, USA PDF Author: Kathryn Marie Womack
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 156

Book Description
Restoration of savanna and woodland ecosystems are high priorities for state and federal agencies in the Midwest and prescribed fire and mechanical tree thinning are the main tools used to restore these communities. Information on how bat species and their insect prey respond to restoration is needed to guide management decisions for species of conservation concern. There is a heightened urgency to collect demographic data during the summer maternity season due to white-nose syndrome (WNS) and other threats to bat populations. Our objectives were to: 1) evaluate the performance of the n-mixture model for repeated count data and the general multinomial-Poisson model for removal sampling (n-mixture model and removal model, respectively) for estimating bat abundance from simulated mist-net capture data, 2) determine the relationships between prescribed fire, vegetation structure, and site characteristics on insect abundance, and 3) determine the effect of restoration, vegetation structure, and landscape factors on bat species abundances across a gradient of savannas, woodlands, and non-managed forest in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri. We fit the n-mixture and removal models in the UNMARKED package in R, and simulated datasets that examined how both models would perform based on potential study design constraints, various probabilities of detection, and population sizes. We simulated 4 scenarios each based on 85 iterations on 1000 randomly generated datasets. We calculated relative bias (RB), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percent error (MA[percent]E) from model predictions to evaluate model performance. Relative bias, MAE, and MA[percent]E decreased as detection probability and bat abundance increased. Model fit was acceptably low when bat abundance was [greater than]70, and detection probability was [greater than] 0.5 for n-mixture models. The removal model outperformed the n-mixture model in all scenarios except when detection probability was 0.05. The removal model correctly estimated bat abundance for 50[percent] of simulated scenarios versus the n-mixture model's 3 out of 43. Utilization of the removal model using data from repeated mist-net surveys may allow resource managers and conservationists to better quantify how resource management and landscape composition affect bat species abundance and overall populations. We provide managers with evidence of the utility of the removal model to estimate bat abundances from repeated mist-net survey data while incorporating meaningful habitat, management, and landscape covariates. Furthermore, documenting changes in populations sizes during the summer maternity season will enable improved conservation practices for species management. We sampled insects at 8 plots in 2014, and 4 plots in 2015 and 2016 within 250 m of each mist-net sites. We fit generalized linear mixed effects models to evaluate a priori hypotheses on the effects of savanna woodland restoration on insect abundances. Prescribed fire did affect insect abundances at plots surrounding each mist-net site. Insect plots burned 2 or 3 times within the last ten years had higher insect abundances for some insect response groups compared to non-managed plot. Year since a plot burned also affected insect abundances, with sites burned more recently within 3 years had lower insect abundances for some insect response groups and in others – we found no relationship. We only evaluated insect Orders and did not examine specific families or species richness to understand how management affects diversity of insects. Temperature was the best predictor of insect abundances at plots for most response variables, and we found support for site aspect, and tree density by size classes. Managers should be mindful that different insect groups had different responses to prescribed fire, therefore a diversity of practices in the landscape will provide for more diverse insect prey Overall, restoration practices did not have a lasting negative effect on insect abundances, and some positive effects. We conducted mist-net surveys at 89 sites across the Ozark region of Missouri from 2014-2016, and collected demographic data on 4 bat species captured: northern longeared bat (Myotis septentrionalis), tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), and eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis). We fit the removal model to evaluate multi-scale a priori hypotheses on the effects of restoration, landscape factors, and prey availability at sites that potentially affect either the detection or abundance of bats at sites. Top models for all four bat species highlighted the importance of evaluating multiple spatial scales in ecological studies. Overall, we found no evidence that restoration negatively affected any of the bat species investigated; although, northern long-eared bats abundance presented stronger positive relationship to percent forest and increased tree densities than to percent savanna-woodlands within 1km. Our study was the first to predict abundances from repeated count data from mist-net surveys during the summer maternity season and accounting for varying detection probabilities. We did not find support for relationships between potential insect prey and bat abundances. Eastern red bats, tricolored, and evening bat abundances were positively related to prescribed fire and negatively to tree densities or percent canopy and therefore should respond positively to savanna and woodland restoration. Northern long-eared bat had higher abundances at sites with higher tree densities of pole and saw timber and eastern red bat and northern long-eared bat abundances was positively related to sites with higher percentage of forest and savanna-woodland habitat within 1 km of mist-net sites. Evening bat abundances was the greatest at sites that had higher fire frequencies within 1 km of a mist-net site. We suggest managers consider the tradeoffs among species in these abundance relationships when planning management and that restoration of savanna and woodlands, when part of a larger management goal to create heterogeneity of forest types, will likely promote higher abundances of all four bat species.

Bats in Forests

Bats in Forests PDF Author: Michael J. Lacki
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 0801884993
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 350

Book Description
Although bats are often thought of as cave dwellers, many species depend on forests for all or part of the year. Of the 45 species of bats in North America, more than half depend on forests, using the bark of trees, tree cavities, or canopy foliage as roosting sites. Over the past two decades it has become increasingly clear that bat conservation and management are strongly linked to the health of forests within their range. Initially driven by concern for endangered species—the Indiana bat, for example—forest ecologists, timber managers, government agencies, and conservation organizations have been altering management plans and silvicultural practices to better accommodate bat species. Bats in Forests presents the work of a variety of experts who address many aspects of the ecology and conservation of bats. The chapter authors describe bat behavior, including the selection of roosts, foraging patterns, and seasonal migration as they relate to forests. They also discuss forest management and its influence on bat habitat. Both public lands and privately owned forests are considered, as well as techniques for monitoring bat populations and activity. The important role bats play in the ecology of forests—from control of insects to nutrient recycling—is revealed by a number of authors. Bat ecologists, bat conservationists, forest ecologists, and forest managers will find in this book an indispensable synthesis of the topics that concern them.

Wildlife Habitats in Managed Forests

Wildlife Habitats in Managed Forests PDF Author: Jack Ward Thomas
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forest animals
Languages : en
Pages : 528

Book Description
That is what this book is about. It is a framework for planning, in which habitat is the key to managing wildlife and making forest managers accountable for their actions. This book is based on the collective knowledge of one group of resource professionals and their understanding about how wildlife relate to forest habitats. And it provides a longoverdue system for considering the impacts of changes in forest structure on all resident wildlife.

Sampling Methods for Bats

Sampling Methods for Bats PDF Author: Donald W. Thomas
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Bats
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Book Description


Sustaining Young Forest Communities

Sustaining Young Forest Communities PDF Author: Cathryn Greenberg
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9400716206
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 311

Book Description
This edited volume addresses a rising concern among natural resource scientists and management professionals about decline of the many plant and animal species associated with early-successional habitats, especially within the Central Hardwood Region of the USA. These open habitats, with herbaceous, shrub, or young forest cover, are disappearing as abandoned farmland, pastures, and cleared forest patches return to forest. There are many questions about “why, what, where, and how” to manage for early successional habitats. In this book, expert scientists and experienced land managers synthesize knowledge and original scientific work to address questions on such topics as wildlife, water, carbon sequestration, natural versus managed disturbance, future scenarios, and sustainable creation and management of early successional habitat in a landscape context.

Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of Bats in a Changing World

Bats in the Anthropocene: Conservation of Bats in a Changing World PDF Author: Christian C. Voigt
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319252208
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 601

Book Description
This book focuses on central themes related to the conservation of bats. It details their response to land-use change and management practices, intensified urbanization and roost disturbance and loss. Increasing interactions between humans and bats as a result of hunting, disease relationships, occupation of human dwellings, and conflict over fruit crops are explored in depth. Finally, contributors highlight the roles that taxonomy, conservation networks and conservation psychology have to play in conserving this imperilled but vital taxon. With over 1300 species, bats are the second largest order of mammals, yet as the Anthropocene dawns, bat populations around the world are in decline. Greater understanding of the anthropogenic drivers of this decline and exploration of possible mitigation measures are urgently needed if we are to retain global bat diversity in the coming decades. This book brings together teams of international experts to provide a global review of current understanding and recommend directions for future research and mitigation.