Night roosting and the nocturnal time budget of the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus: Effects of reproductive status, prey density, and environmental conditions

Abstract

The insectivorous bat Myotis lucifugus typically apportions the night into two foraging periods separated by an interval of night roosting. During this interval, many bats occupy roosts that are used exclusively at night and are spatially separate from maternity roosts. The proportion of the night which bats spend roosting, and thus the proportion spent foraging, vary both daily and seasonally in relation to the reproductive condition of the bats, prey density, and ambient temperature. A single, continuous night roosting period is observed during pregnancy. During lactation, females return to maternity roosts between foraging bouts, and night roosts are used only briefly and sporadically. Maximum use of night roosts occurs in late summer after young become volant. Superimposed upon these seasonal trends is day-to-day variation in the bats' nightly time budget. Long night roosting periods and short foraging periods are associated with cool nights and low prey density. This behavioral response may minimize energetic losses during periods of food scarcity.

Habitat use and nocturnal activity of lesser short‐tailed bats(Mystacina tuberculata)in comparison with long‐tailed bats(Chalinolobus tuberculatus)in temperate rainforest

“…Activity by flying invertebrates, and hence bat activity, generally increase with temperature (O'Donnell 2000b). Activity is normally reduced or ceases for insectivorous bat species below temperature thresholds of 10-12°C (e.g., Anthony et al 1981;Audet 1990;Brigham 1991). Although overnight minimum and dusk temperatures were good predictors of activity in long-tailed bats (O'Donnell 2000b), they did not appear to have any significant effect on activity by lesser short-tailed bats, at least across the range of temperatures sampled during summer in the present study.…”

“…Influence of ambient temperature on foraging activity Ambient temperature and invertebrate activity are consistent predictors of bat activity (e.g., Anthony et al 1981;Audet 1990;Maier 1992;Rautenbach et al 1996;Hayes 1997). Minimum temperatures influence bats' physiologically, making activity uneconomic below certain thresholds.…”

Roosting behaviour and phenology of the Lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros) in a breeding colony in Sintra, Portugal

“…Indeed, it is known that bats have minimum ambient temperatures to forage, and during cold nights it has been shown that the length of the foraging periods decreases, so bats spend more time inside their roosts (Roche 1997) as occurs with the studied colony in Sintra. Ambient temperature also can influence bat activity indirectly by affecting the abundance and activity of arthropods (Taylor 1963, Anthony et al 1981, Rydell 1989, which are the main components of the diet of insectivorous bats.…”

“…Many studies demonstrated that low temperatures may delay, reduce or avoid the foraging periods of many insectivorous bat species (Anthony et al 1981, Catto et al 1995, Maier 1992. In fact, in Portugal, temperature and bat activity seem to be positively related (Amorim et al 2012), a pattern also described in another locations (Vaughan et al 1997, Erickson & West 2002 which may suggest that temperature is a good predictor of bat activity.…”

Influence of season, habitat, temperature, and invertebrate availability on nocturnal activity of the New Zealand long‐tailed bat (Chalinolobus tuberculatus)

“…27 Anthony et al 1981;Avery 1985;Swift et al 1985;Barclay 1991;Rydell 1993;Hayes 1997;Vaughan et al 1997).…”