Ecology of Wildlife Disease Active
Some of the biggest challenges facing wildlife today are changes to their environment from both natural and anthropogenic causes. Natural resource managers, planners, policy makers, industry and private landowners must make informed decisions and policies regarding management, conservation, and restoration of species, habitats, and ecosystem function in response to these changes.
The United States is undergoing ecological change that is increasing the interface between wildlife, humans, and disease. Such changes are resulting in unpredictable shifts in the balances of disease cycles in natural hosts and humans, with consequences to many imperiled species. In addition to population declines, the loss of wildlife from disease contributes to a corresponding decline in ecosystem services that benefit human health and economies. TSH scientists collaborate with researchers and resource managers around the world to gain better scientifi c understanding of the ecological factors involved in the transmission and epidemiology of infectious diseases in wildlife, as well as contributing to the development of tools and techniques to help understand and manage disease in wildlife populations.
Ecology of Plague - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
In North America, the flea transmitted plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) has colonized and altered native animal communities and ecosystems since its invasion a little more than a century ago. Many species have suffered adverse consequences from plague, perhaps none more than the endangered black-footed ferret. Plague has established within the ranges of all North American prairie dog species, which collectively serve as the sole habitat and predominant prey base for the endangered black-footed ferret. This disease causes periodic and sometimes dramatic die-offs of both prairie dogs and ferrets.
The initial objectives of this study are to assess efficacy, longevity, and cost of flea control using deltamethrin delivered as dust within burrows and measure population responses of prairie dogs and associated mammals. Research, development, and field trials of vaccines against sylvatic plague in prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets are also underway.
Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats - Principal Investigator - Paul Cryan
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease that threatens the survival of hibernating bats in North America. Since first documented in the winter of 2005/2006, WNS has spread from a very small area of New York across at least two thousand kilometers in 25 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Over five million bats are estimated to have died during the past 7 winters after contact with WNS, and all four federally listed endangered species and subspecies of hibernating cave bats are in harm’s way.
There are three primary objectives to this project as follows: continue to help coordinate research efforts directed toward white-nose syndrome at a national level and provide technical support on aspects of bat ecology to USGS researchers and others in the scientific and resource management community; assess the possible behavioral mechanisms by which skin infection from the causative fungus specifically acts to cause bat mortality; and assess the possible physiological mechanisms by which skin infection from the causative fungus specifically acts to cause bat mortality.
Effects of Soil and Colony Age on Flea Densities - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
Abundance of fleas is thought to drive rates of plague transmission in the wild. In the complex process of plague maintenance and transmission, fleas as vectors are a potentially weak link in the system that can be exploited. To date, exploiting this link has provided the only stand-alone tools that are operationally effective for managing plague in the black-footed ferret and prairie dog communites (e.g., use of various insecticides for flea control). FORT scientists are addressing the question of how to most efficiently use these tools by conducting studies of flea ecology that examine the influences of colony age, soil characteristics, microclimates in burrows, weather patterns, and differences among flea species.
Non-invasive Surveillance of Bat Hibernacula to Investigate Potential Behavioral Causes of Mortality Associated with White Nose Syndrome - Principal Investigator - Paul Cryan
WNS is named for the ubiquitous presence of a newly identified species of cold-loving fungus (Pseudogynmnoascus destructans) that is capable of penetrating and infecting the skin and wing membranes of bats during hibernation. It is critical that research efforts directed toward WNS incorporate the expertise of scientists familiar with the ecology of bats and hibernation physiology.
The objectives of this project are to better understand bat hibernation and to assess the possible behavioral mechanisms by which skin infection from the associated fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) may act to cause bat mortality. We are using new methods for observing natural behaviors of hibernating bats by building and deploying remote video surveillance systems inside caves and mines where bats hibernate. After successfully monitoring the in situ behaviors of hibernating bats over as many as six winters, we are now in the process of interpreting these new observations.
Grassland Ecology and Conservation - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
Grasslands are arguably one of the most anthropogenically stressed ecosystems of the western United States. The highly endangered black-footed ferret and prairie dogs epitomize grassland mammals of high conservation concern. The Utah prairie dog is a federally listed species, while black-tailed prairie dogs, white-tailed prairie dogs, and Gunnison's prairie dogs all have received attention in the form of listing proposals. Research conducted within this project will focus on these imperiled prairie dog communities and their vertebrate and invertebrate associates, but will not necessarily be limited to those communities. Studies will be driven by the need to better understand ecological relationships among grassland animals, interactions of these animals with their environments, and anthropogenic influences affecting these systems.
WNS Data Management Coordination - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
As White Nose Syndrome (WNS) spreads, the challenges for understanding and managing the disease continue to increase. In June 2008, an effort to formalize a coordinated approach for addressing WNS was initiated among the Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and State wildlife management agencies. A national plan for assisting states, Federal agencies, and tribes in managing WNS in bats was developed. This plan provides a framework that outlines the actions necessary to coordinate Federal and State efforts and identifies actions in support of State, Federal, tribal, and partner WNS management efforts. Each of seven elements identified in the plan would be administered by a working group responsible for the coordination of activities within that element.
North American Bat Data Integration - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
Bats are essential to the health of our natural world. They help control pests and are vital pollinators and seed-dispersers for countless plants. Bat populations are in trouble, however. Since 2006, more than 5 million bats have died due to a fungal disease called White-nose Syndrome (WNS). At the same time, several migratory tree-dwelling species are being killed in unprecedented numbers by wind turbines. In light of these emerging threats, the scientific community has expressed great interest in improving access to historical information and WNS data to better inform bat conservation efforts. To address this need, this project is integrating two important datasets into the USGS Bat Population Database, an enterprise data management system for bat researchers.
Bat Banding Clearinghouse - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
The need to mark bats individually in order to assess life history parameters and movements is especially important as threats from white-nose syndrome (WNS) and wind energy development continue to negatively affect bats. Although disparate bat banding efforts are ongoing, no coherent strategy, official clearinghouse or coordination program exists in North America, despite the recognized need. A major recommendation made in 2008 in “Summary and Analysis of the U.S. Government Bat Banding Program” was to develop a national clearinghouse for banded bats in order to optimize information obtained from marked bats. The U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region are developing a clearinghouse for banded bats beginning with the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis).
Transmission of Plague by Small Mammals at Badlands National Park - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
Plague was first detected in the southwest corner of Badlands National Park (BADL), and spread northeastward, reaching the northeast corner in 2011. Plague is now common throughout BADL (NPS and USFS, unpublished data), and threatens efforts to preserve and manage the federally endangered black-footed ferret in BADL, which were reintroduced into the park in 1994.
This study will serve as an exploratory effort to gain insight into which species of small mammals and their fleas are primary participants in the plague cycle; which are secondary participants, and which are bystanders. We will conduct a field experiment based on a randomized complete block design to investigate whether small mammals are chronically affected by enzootic levels of plague and which are potential hosts that may function as short-term reservoirs in the flea-borne transmission of plague in black-tailed prairie dog colonies and surrounding environments in BADL.
Bat Species of Concern: An Ecological Synthesis for Resource Managers - Principal Investigator - Paul Cryan
A large number of bat species are considered “species of concern” in the United States and its Territories, and resource managers are increasingly interested in learning more about their distribution, status, and potential management. This project involves developing a synthesis report on 25 of these species, including detailed species accounts, an updated distribution GIS database, and a review of the scientific basis for bat management and conservation measures. With this report, resource managers will have a “handbook” detailing available information on bat species in their areas as well as management practices that can enhance bat conservation. Publication is expected in early 2017.
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
Despite their importance and the many threats facing their populations [e.g., white-nose syndrome (WNS), climate change, wind energy development, habitat loss and fragmentation, there are currently no national programs to monitor and track bat populations in North America.
A statistically rigorous and nationally coordinated bat monitoring program is critical for determining the impacts of the many stressors on bat populations, as well as for determining the efficacy of management actions taken to conserve bat populations. The objectives of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (or NABat) are to provide the architecture for coordinated bat monitoring to support local, regional and range-wide inferences about trends in bat populations and abundances in response to WNS, climate, wind energy, and habitat loss, and provide managers and policy makers with the information they need on bat population trends to effectively manage bat populations, detect early warning signs of population declines, and estimate extinction risk. Additional Information: Bat Population Database, https://my.usgs.gov/bpd/
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Ecology of Plague
Non-invasive Surveillance of Bat Hibernacula to Investigate Potential Behavioral Causes of Mortality Associated with White Nose Syndrome
Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
Effects of Soil and Colony Age on Flea Densities
Grassland Ecology and Conservation
White-Nose Syndrome Threatens the Survival of Hibernating Bats in North America
WNS Data Management Coordination
Transmission of plague by small mammals at Badlands National Park
Bat Banding Clearinghouse
Bat Species of Concern: An Ecological Synthesis for Resource Managers
Below are publications associated with this project.
Evaluating the effectiveness of wildlife detection and observation technologies at a solar power tower facility
Environment, host, and fungal traits predict continental-scale white-nose syndrome in bats
Multiple mortality events in bats: a global review
Ultraviolet vision may be widespread in bats
Not to put too fine a point on it - does increasing precision of geographic referencing improve species distribution models for a wide-ranging migratory bat?
Using sutures to attach miniature tracking tags to small bats for multimonth movement and behavioral studies
A plan for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
Watching the dark: New surveillance cameras are changing bat research
Behavior of bats at wind turbines
Wind turbines are causing unprecedented numbers of bat fatalities. Many fatalities involve tree-roosting bats, but reasons for this higher susceptibility remain unknown. To better understand behaviors associated with risk, we monitored bats at three experimentally manipulated wind turbines in Indiana, United States, from July 29 to October 1, 2012, using thermal cameras and other methods. We obser
Estimating sample size for landscape-scale mark-recapture studies of North American migratory tree bats
Continental-scale, seasonal movements of a heterothermic migratory tree bat
Seasonal shifts in the diet of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), Fort Collins, Colorado
- Overview
Some of the biggest challenges facing wildlife today are changes to their environment from both natural and anthropogenic causes. Natural resource managers, planners, policy makers, industry and private landowners must make informed decisions and policies regarding management, conservation, and restoration of species, habitats, and ecosystem function in response to these changes.
The United States is undergoing ecological change that is increasing the interface between wildlife, humans, and disease. Such changes are resulting in unpredictable shifts in the balances of disease cycles in natural hosts and humans, with consequences to many imperiled species. In addition to population declines, the loss of wildlife from disease contributes to a corresponding decline in ecosystem services that benefit human health and economies. TSH scientists collaborate with researchers and resource managers around the world to gain better scientifi c understanding of the ecological factors involved in the transmission and epidemiology of infectious diseases in wildlife, as well as contributing to the development of tools and techniques to help understand and manage disease in wildlife populations.
Ecology of Plague - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
In North America, the flea transmitted plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) has colonized and altered native animal communities and ecosystems since its invasion a little more than a century ago. Many species have suffered adverse consequences from plague, perhaps none more than the endangered black-footed ferret. Plague has established within the ranges of all North American prairie dog species, which collectively serve as the sole habitat and predominant prey base for the endangered black-footed ferret. This disease causes periodic and sometimes dramatic die-offs of both prairie dogs and ferrets.
The initial objectives of this study are to assess efficacy, longevity, and cost of flea control using deltamethrin delivered as dust within burrows and measure population responses of prairie dogs and associated mammals. Research, development, and field trials of vaccines against sylvatic plague in prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets are also underway.
Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats - Principal Investigator - Paul Cryan
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease that threatens the survival of hibernating bats in North America. Since first documented in the winter of 2005/2006, WNS has spread from a very small area of New York across at least two thousand kilometers in 25 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Over five million bats are estimated to have died during the past 7 winters after contact with WNS, and all four federally listed endangered species and subspecies of hibernating cave bats are in harm’s way.
There are three primary objectives to this project as follows: continue to help coordinate research efforts directed toward white-nose syndrome at a national level and provide technical support on aspects of bat ecology to USGS researchers and others in the scientific and resource management community; assess the possible behavioral mechanisms by which skin infection from the causative fungus specifically acts to cause bat mortality; and assess the possible physiological mechanisms by which skin infection from the causative fungus specifically acts to cause bat mortality.
Effects of Soil and Colony Age on Flea Densities - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
Abundance of fleas is thought to drive rates of plague transmission in the wild. In the complex process of plague maintenance and transmission, fleas as vectors are a potentially weak link in the system that can be exploited. To date, exploiting this link has provided the only stand-alone tools that are operationally effective for managing plague in the black-footed ferret and prairie dog communites (e.g., use of various insecticides for flea control). FORT scientists are addressing the question of how to most efficiently use these tools by conducting studies of flea ecology that examine the influences of colony age, soil characteristics, microclimates in burrows, weather patterns, and differences among flea species.
Non-invasive Surveillance of Bat Hibernacula to Investigate Potential Behavioral Causes of Mortality Associated with White Nose Syndrome - Principal Investigator - Paul Cryan
WNS is named for the ubiquitous presence of a newly identified species of cold-loving fungus (Pseudogynmnoascus destructans) that is capable of penetrating and infecting the skin and wing membranes of bats during hibernation. It is critical that research efforts directed toward WNS incorporate the expertise of scientists familiar with the ecology of bats and hibernation physiology.
The objectives of this project are to better understand bat hibernation and to assess the possible behavioral mechanisms by which skin infection from the associated fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) may act to cause bat mortality. We are using new methods for observing natural behaviors of hibernating bats by building and deploying remote video surveillance systems inside caves and mines where bats hibernate. After successfully monitoring the in situ behaviors of hibernating bats over as many as six winters, we are now in the process of interpreting these new observations.
Grassland Ecology and Conservation - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
Grasslands are arguably one of the most anthropogenically stressed ecosystems of the western United States. The highly endangered black-footed ferret and prairie dogs epitomize grassland mammals of high conservation concern. The Utah prairie dog is a federally listed species, while black-tailed prairie dogs, white-tailed prairie dogs, and Gunnison's prairie dogs all have received attention in the form of listing proposals. Research conducted within this project will focus on these imperiled prairie dog communities and their vertebrate and invertebrate associates, but will not necessarily be limited to those communities. Studies will be driven by the need to better understand ecological relationships among grassland animals, interactions of these animals with their environments, and anthropogenic influences affecting these systems.
WNS Data Management Coordination - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
As White Nose Syndrome (WNS) spreads, the challenges for understanding and managing the disease continue to increase. In June 2008, an effort to formalize a coordinated approach for addressing WNS was initiated among the Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, and State wildlife management agencies. A national plan for assisting states, Federal agencies, and tribes in managing WNS in bats was developed. This plan provides a framework that outlines the actions necessary to coordinate Federal and State efforts and identifies actions in support of State, Federal, tribal, and partner WNS management efforts. Each of seven elements identified in the plan would be administered by a working group responsible for the coordination of activities within that element.
North American Bat Data Integration - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
Bats are essential to the health of our natural world. They help control pests and are vital pollinators and seed-dispersers for countless plants. Bat populations are in trouble, however. Since 2006, more than 5 million bats have died due to a fungal disease called White-nose Syndrome (WNS). At the same time, several migratory tree-dwelling species are being killed in unprecedented numbers by wind turbines. In light of these emerging threats, the scientific community has expressed great interest in improving access to historical information and WNS data to better inform bat conservation efforts. To address this need, this project is integrating two important datasets into the USGS Bat Population Database, an enterprise data management system for bat researchers.
Bat Banding Clearinghouse - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
The need to mark bats individually in order to assess life history parameters and movements is especially important as threats from white-nose syndrome (WNS) and wind energy development continue to negatively affect bats. Although disparate bat banding efforts are ongoing, no coherent strategy, official clearinghouse or coordination program exists in North America, despite the recognized need. A major recommendation made in 2008 in “Summary and Analysis of the U.S. Government Bat Banding Program” was to develop a national clearinghouse for banded bats in order to optimize information obtained from marked bats. The U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center (FORT) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region are developing a clearinghouse for banded bats beginning with the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis).
Transmission of Plague by Small Mammals at Badlands National Park - Principal Investigator - Dean Biggins
Plague was first detected in the southwest corner of Badlands National Park (BADL), and spread northeastward, reaching the northeast corner in 2011. Plague is now common throughout BADL (NPS and USFS, unpublished data), and threatens efforts to preserve and manage the federally endangered black-footed ferret in BADL, which were reintroduced into the park in 1994.
This study will serve as an exploratory effort to gain insight into which species of small mammals and their fleas are primary participants in the plague cycle; which are secondary participants, and which are bystanders. We will conduct a field experiment based on a randomized complete block design to investigate whether small mammals are chronically affected by enzootic levels of plague and which are potential hosts that may function as short-term reservoirs in the flea-borne transmission of plague in black-tailed prairie dog colonies and surrounding environments in BADL.
Bat Species of Concern: An Ecological Synthesis for Resource Managers - Principal Investigator - Paul Cryan
A large number of bat species are considered “species of concern” in the United States and its Territories, and resource managers are increasingly interested in learning more about their distribution, status, and potential management. This project involves developing a synthesis report on 25 of these species, including detailed species accounts, an updated distribution GIS database, and a review of the scientific basis for bat management and conservation measures. With this report, resource managers will have a “handbook” detailing available information on bat species in their areas as well as management practices that can enhance bat conservation. Publication is expected in early 2017.
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) - Principal Investigator - Patty Stevens
Despite their importance and the many threats facing their populations [e.g., white-nose syndrome (WNS), climate change, wind energy development, habitat loss and fragmentation, there are currently no national programs to monitor and track bat populations in North America.
A statistically rigorous and nationally coordinated bat monitoring program is critical for determining the impacts of the many stressors on bat populations, as well as for determining the efficacy of management actions taken to conserve bat populations. The objectives of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (or NABat) are to provide the architecture for coordinated bat monitoring to support local, regional and range-wide inferences about trends in bat populations and abundances in response to WNS, climate, wind energy, and habitat loss, and provide managers and policy makers with the information they need on bat population trends to effectively manage bat populations, detect early warning signs of population declines, and estimate extinction risk. Additional Information: Bat Population Database, https://my.usgs.gov/bpd/
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Ecology of Plague
In North America, the flea transmitted plague bacterium (Yersinia pestis) has colonized and altered native animal communities and ecosystems for more than a century. Many species have suffered adverse consequences from plague, perhaps none more than the endangered black-footed ferret. Plague has established within the ranges of all North American prairie dog species, which collectively serve as...Non-invasive Surveillance of Bat Hibernacula to Investigate Potential Behavioral Causes of Mortality Associated with White Nose Syndrome
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease that threatens the survival of hibernating bats in North America. Since first documented in the winter of 2005/2006, WNS has spread from a very small area of New York across at least two thousand kilometers and half or more of states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada.Ecological Investigations of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats
White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease that threatens the survival of hibernating bats in North America. Since first documented in the winter of 2005/2006, WNS has spread from a very small area of New York across at least two thousand kilometers in half or more of states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. Over five million bats are estimated to have died during the past decade from...Effects of Soil and Colony Age on Flea Densities
Abundance of fleas is thought to drive rates of plague transmission in the wild. In the complex process of plague maintenance and transmission, fleas as vectors are a potentially weak link in the system that can be exploited. To date, exploiting this link has provided the only stand-alone tools that are operationally effective for managing plague in the black-footed ferret/prairie dog community (i...Grassland Ecology and Conservation
Grasslands are arguably one of the most anthropogenically stressed ecosystems of the western United States. The highly endangered black-footed ferret and prairie dogs epitomize grassland mammals of high conservation concern.White-Nose Syndrome Threatens the Survival of Hibernating Bats in North America
During the winter of 2006–2007, an affliction of unknown origin dubbed “white-nose syndrome” (WNS) began devastating colonies of hibernating bats in a small area around Albany, New York. Colonies of hibernating bats were reduced 80–97 percent at the affected caves and mines that were surveyed. Since then, white-nose syndrome or its causative agent have consistently spread more than 2,000...WNS Data Management Coordination
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007 and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America.Transmission of plague by small mammals at Badlands National Park
Plague was first detected in the southwest corner of Badlands National Park (BADL), and spread northeastward, reaching the northeast corner in 2011. Multiple prairie dog colonies in BADL and Conata Basin have had population collapses from plague since its arrival in the park. Plague is now common throughout BADL (NPS and USFS, unpublished data), and threatens efforts to preserve and manage the...Bat Banding Clearinghouse
The need to mark bats individually in order to assess life history parameters and movements is especially important as threats from white-nose syndrome (WNS) and wind energy development continue to negatively affect bats.Bat Species of Concern: An Ecological Synthesis for Resource Managers
A large number of bat species are considered “species of concern” in the United States and its Territories, and resource managers are increasingly interested in learning more about their distribution, status, and potential management. - Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 36Evaluating the effectiveness of wildlife detection and observation technologies at a solar power tower facility
Solar power towers produce electrical energy from sunlight at an industrial scale. Little is known about the effects of this technology on flying animals and few methods exist for automatically detecting or observing wildlife at solar towers and other tall anthropogenic structures. Smoking objects are sometimes observed co-occurring with reflected, concentrated light (“solar flux”) in the airspaceAuthorsRobert H. Diehl, Ernest W. Valdez, Todd M. Preston, Mike J. Wellik, Paul M. CryanEnvironment, host, and fungal traits predict continental-scale white-nose syndrome in bats
White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease killing bats in eastern North America, but disease is not seen in European bats and is less severe in some North American species. We show that how bats use energy during hibernation and fungal growth rates under different environmental conditions can explain how some bats are able to survive winter with infection and others are not. Our study shows how simpAuthorsDavid T.S. Hayman, Juliet R.C. Pulliam, Jonathan C. Marshall, Paul M. Cryan, Colleen T. WebbMultiple mortality events in bats: a global review
Despite conservation concerns for many species of bats, factors causing mortality in bats have not been reviewed since 1970. Here, we review and qualitatively describe trends in the occurrence and apparent causes of multiple mortality events (MMEs) in bats around the world. We compiled a database of MMEs, defined as cases in which ≥ 10 dead bats were counted or estimated at a specific location wiAuthorsThomas J. O'Shea, Paul M. Cryan, David TH Hayman, Raina K. Plowright, Daniel G. StreickerUltraviolet vision may be widespread in bats
Insectivorous bats are well known for their abilities to find and pursue flying insect prey at close range using echolocation, but they also rely heavily on vision. For example, at night bats use vision to orient across landscapes, avoid large obstacles, and locate roosts. Although lacking sharp visual acuity, the eyes of bats evolved to function at very low levels of illumination. Recent evidenceAuthorsP. Marcos Gorresen, Paul M. Cryan, David C. Dalton, Sandy Wolf, Frank BonaccorsoNot to put too fine a point on it - does increasing precision of geographic referencing improve species distribution models for a wide-ranging migratory bat?
Bat specimens held in natural history museum collections can provide insights into the distribution of species. However, there are several important sources of spatial error associated with natural history specimens that may influence the analysis and mapping of bat species distributions. We analyzed the importance of geographic referencing and error correction in species distribution modeling (SDAuthorsMark A. Hayes, Katharine Ozenberger, Paul M. Cryan, Michael B. WunderUsing sutures to attach miniature tracking tags to small bats for multimonth movement and behavioral studies
1. Determining the detailed movements of individual animals often requires them to carry tracking devices, but tracking broad-scale movement of small bats (< 30g) has been limited by transmitter technology and long-term attachment methods. This limitation inhibits our understanding of bat dispersal and migration, particularly in the context of emerging conservation issues like fatalities at wind tAuthorsKevin T. Castle, Theodore J. Weller, Paul M. Cryan, Cris D. Hein, Michael R. SchirmacherA plan for the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
The purpose of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) is to create a continent-wide program to monitor bats at local to rangewide scales that will provide reliable data to promote effective conservation decisionmaking and the long-term viability of bat populations across the continent. This is an international, multiagency program. Four approaches will be used to gather monitoring dataAuthorsSusan C. Loeb, Thomas J. Rodhouse, Laura E. Ellison, Cori L. Lausen, Jonathan D. Reichard, Kathryn M. Irvine, Thomas E. Ingersoll, Jeremy T. H. Coleman, Wayne E. Thogmartin, John R. Sauer, Charles M. Francis, Mylea L. Bayless, Thomas R. Stanley, Douglas H. JohnsonWatching the dark: New surveillance cameras are changing bat research
It is, according to an old proverb, “better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” And those of us trying to discover new insights into the mysterious lives of bats often do a lot of cursing in the darkness. Bats do most things under cover of night, and often in places where humans and most other animals can’t go. This dark inaccessibility is great for bats, but not so great for those of uAuthorsPaul M. Cryan, P. Marcos GorresenBehavior of bats at wind turbines
Wind turbines are causing unprecedented numbers of bat fatalities. Many fatalities involve tree-roosting bats, but reasons for this higher susceptibility remain unknown. To better understand behaviors associated with risk, we monitored bats at three experimentally manipulated wind turbines in Indiana, United States, from July 29 to October 1, 2012, using thermal cameras and other methods. We obser
AuthorsPaul M. Cryan, P. Marcos Gorresen, Cris D. Hine, Michael Schirmacher, Robert H. Diehl, Manuela M. Huso, David T.S. Hayman, Paul D. Fricker, Frank J. Bonaccorso, Douglas H. Johnson, Kevin W. Heist, David C. DaltonEstimating sample size for landscape-scale mark-recapture studies of North American migratory tree bats
Concern for migratory tree-roosting bats in North America has grown because of possible population declines from wind energy development. This concern has driven interest in estimating population-level changes. Mark-recapture methodology is one possible analytical framework for assessing bat population changes, but sample size requirements to produce reliable estimates have not been estimated. ToAuthorsLaura E. Ellison, Paul M. LukacsContinental-scale, seasonal movements of a heterothermic migratory tree bat
Long-distance migration evolved independently in bats and unique migration behaviors are likely, but because of their cryptic lifestyles, many details remain unknown. North American hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus cinereus) roost in trees year-round and probably migrate farther than any other bats, yet we still lack basic information about their migration patterns and wintering locations or strategiAuthorsPaul M. Cryan, Craig A. Stricker, Michael B. WunderSeasonal shifts in the diet of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), Fort Collins, Colorado
Recent analyses suggest that the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) may be less of a beetle specialist (Coleoptera) in the western United States than previously thought, and that its diet might also vary with temperature. We tested the hypothesis that big brown bats might opportunistically prey on moths by analyzing insect fragments in guano pellets from 30 individual bats (27 females and 3 males) cAuthorsErnest W. Valdez, Thomas J. O'Shea