Geographic Distribution, Reproduction, and Seasonal Activity of Bats in Iowa

Benedict, Russell A.; Chipps, Austin; Heatwole, Rachel; Howell, Daryl; Mandi, D. Alex; Oblander, Ashley; Clough, Jessica Riebkes; Roush, Stephanie

doi:10.3398/064.080.0302

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Although in this study, overall activity at these remote locations was very low, such features could serve as stepping stones and foraging opportunities as bats move through the landscape, and might also serve to draw bats further from habitat edges into open spaces Coates-Estrada 2001, Heim et al 2018). In this study, bat use on the prairie site did not differ much from distributions on crop plots, suggesting that prior to European settlement, bat prairie use was likely restricted mostly to riparian areas and isolated trees (Holloway and Barclay 2000, Heim et al 2015, Treitler et al 2016, and by fewer species (Benedict 2004, Anderson et al 2017. Because some bats are capable of flying over long distances through open landscapes (Estrada and Coates-Estrada 2002), the low number of echolocation recordings at exposed or isolated tree cover sites could indicate bats are simply passing through and not necessarily foraging, or are flying at higher altitudes (Griffin and Thompson 1982, Fenton and Griffin 1997, Frick et al 2012) in these areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Spatial distribution of bat activity in agricultural fields: implications for ecosystem service estimates

Fill¹,

Allen²,

Benson³

2022

E&S

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Bats provide a number of ecosystem services in agricultural areas, including the predation of night-flying insects, for which they are estimated to save agricultural industries billions of dollars per year. Intensive agriculture has many negative effects on biodiversity, and it is important to understand how wildlife exploit available habitats to allow persistence in these human-modified landscapes. To better evaluate the effectiveness of bats' pest-controlling services, and to increase understanding of bat foraging behavior in these historically open grassland landscapes, we estimated bat activity and insect abundance in and around crop fields in southeast Nebraska, USA. Specifically, we used a novel acoustic grid sampling approach to document and visualize spatiotemporal activity patterns by different bat species over agricultural fields and forested habitat along crop field edges. Bat activity was highest in areas with the most forested edge habitat, and sites with more trees and water typically had more species present. Bat species and activity was low in isolated forest fragments and sites with minimal habitat edges, but overall insect volume did not decline away from field edges, suggesting that ecosystem services provided by bats likely diminish not because of a decline in resource availability, but because of the lack of structure. Woodland interfaces are important habitats for bats, and the invasion of grasslands by woody species in the Great Plains has increased available bat habitat, and therefore services provided by bats, but with a cost to grasslands and the ecological services they provide. However, although bats are clearly important insect predators that benefit agricultural activities, our ability to quantify the ecosystem services they provide will be greatly improved with a more nuanced understanding of how their activity varies relative to habitat structure and scale within the landscapes where these services are required.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Spatial distribution of bat activity in agricultural fields: implications for ecosystem service estimates

Fill¹,

Allen²,

Benson³

2022

E&S

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“…Depending on the region, bridge roosts may be used as hibernacula and can be actively used year-round (Johnston et al ., 2004; Ferrara and Leberg, 2005; Keeley, 2007; Tilova et al ., 2008; Zara Enviornmental, 2013; Lewis et al ., 2022; Stevens et al ., 2022). In North America, bridge roosts are typically occupied starting in early spring when bats leave hibernacula for maternity and bachelor colonies, with numbers peaking during summer (Stager, 1943; Fraze and Wilkins, 1990; Adam and Hayes, 2000; Trousdale and Beckett, 2004; Geluso and Mink, 2009; Benedict et al ., 2020). Interestingly, in the southeastern US, the highest abundance of M. grisescens in bridges in northern Arkansas was in spring (84%) with some observations in fall (14%) and only two bats (3%) in the summer (Sasse, 2019).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wildlife Use of Anthropogenic Structures: A Comprehensive Review of Bridge Use by Bats

Detweiler,

Bernard

2023

Acta Chiropterologica

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“…Data from 2000 and before show tri-colored bats ranged from eastern Canada, south to Florida, and west to the eastern edges of the Great Plains (Fujita and Kunz, 1984;Briggler and Prather, 2003;Ammerman et al, 2012) and into Central America (McCarthy et al, 1993) (Figure 1). More recently, the range of tri-colored bats has expanded on the western edge, across the United States (Ammerman et al 2002;Benedict 2004;Ammerman 2005;Geluso et al, 2005;Prendergast et al, 2010) with tri-colored bats showing up in areas with historical survey records including hibernacula where they were previously absent (Figure 1). These areas include central Colorado, eastern New Mexico, and southeastern Wyoming (Geluso et al, 2004;FIGURE 3 Distribution of published studies conducted on tri-colored bats by Ecoregion Level III for summer and winter.…”

Section: Range and Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Literature review of tri-colored bat natural history with implications to management

McCoshum,

Pratt,

Lent

et al. 2023

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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In the past decade, caverniculous bat populations have plummeted due to White-nose syndrome (WNS). Tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) populations have declined drastically in areas where WNS has been found, leading to the decision to protect tri-colored bats under the federal Endangered Species Act in the United States. At this time, there has not been a thorough review of the literature, nor a concise summary of the tri-colored bat’s life history, diet, threats, or habitat preferences. This absence creates more work for policy makers, federal “Take” permit applicants, and conservationists to find, access, and review critical details of tri-colored bats. A major point of confusion stems from the multiple common names and genera tri-colored bats have been classified under since it was first described a century and a half ago. To address the lack of concise summary, we scoured the scientific literature and compiled nearly a century of data to provide a robust review of the ecology, life history, winter and summer habitats, as well as created maps and figures showing counties where studies have occurred, white-nose syndrome is present, and where bats have been documented. Additionally, this paper highlights data gaps and suggests future research topics that may better inform conservation and management decisions for tri-colored bats.

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Geographic Distribution, Reproduction, and Seasonal Activity of Bats in Iowa

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Spatial distribution of bat activity in agricultural fields: implications for ecosystem service estimates

Spatial distribution of bat activity in agricultural fields: implications for ecosystem service estimates

Wildlife Use of Anthropogenic Structures: A Comprehensive Review of Bridge Use by Bats

Literature review of tri-colored bat natural history with implications to management

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