Roost-Site Characteristics of the Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus) in the Red Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma

Abstract

approved:________________________________________________________There is limited understanding of habitat use by bats in the Great Plains and few steps taken toward their conservation, relative to other wildlife. This gap of knowledge, including specific knowledge of two Species in Need of Conservation (SINC) noted by the state of Kansas in the Red Hills region, must be filled for adequate bat conservation. I investigated bat distribution in relation to encroaching woody vegetation and elevation on both the landscape level and local scale habitat (e.g., tree cover) used within riparian corridors (Chapter 2). Acoustic data were used to model probability of occurrence in relation to vegetative and topographic characteristics within the region. The probability of occurrence of one species, Myotis velifer, was positively associated with tree canopy cover and negatively associated with elevation. I obtained habitat use within riparian corridors by mist netting live bats. The capture rates of M. velifer and Corynorhinus townsendii were found to be positively related with canopy cover. I also obtained information on the physical characteristics of summer roosting locations of a SINC species in Kansas, Antrozous pallidus, by tracking radioed individuals to their diurnal roosting sites (Chapter 3). Information gathered from these investigations, and published research, also was used to construct a recovery plan (Chapter 4) that will be submitted to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism. This plan will help guide conservation and management decisions for these two species by including roosting and foraging habitat information that is critical for their persistence within the state of Kansas.

Clarendonian (Late Miocene) Bats (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae and Molossidae) From the Ogallala Formation, High Plains of Oklahoma, Usa

“…The extant bat A. pallidus is a crevice-roosting species utilizing cliffs and rocky canyons and sometimes crevices within caves as temporary night roosts (Twente, 1955; Vaughan and O'Shea, 1976). In the present-day Red Hills region of Oklahoma and Kansas, within 150 km E of the Whisenhunt fossil localities, this species roosts in crevices in the gypsum, sandstone, and shale of canyon walls (Miller and Jensen, 2013). However, these red rock layers and canyons are uncommon on the flat, sod-covered southern high plains today, where the fossils occurred.…”

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“…A telemetry study in California showed that pallid bats roosted 5-11 km from the areas in which they foraged (Brown et al, 1997). Miller & Jensen (2013) netted radio-tagged individuals in Kansas and Oklahoma at distances from 120 m to 1.2 km from their day roosts. In northern California foraging individuals of both sexes made nightly foraging flights over 2 km long (Baker et al, 2008).…”