Publication Date
2019
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Volker Bahn (Advisor), Thomas Rooney (Committee Member), Megan Rua (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
The goals of my thesis are to: 1) identify species of bats in Wright State University’s (WSU) campus woods via acoustic surveys to compare to detections from previous years (Chapter 1) (2) analyze occupancy and detection probabilities of Indiana bats in different areas throughout the woods (Chapter 1), and 3) create an acoustical approach to analyze habitat use through bat social calls (Chapter 2). In Chapter 1, I conducted stationary acoustic surveys in the Wright State University woods in hydric (riparian), edge, and old growth habitats to record bat vocalizations. The WSU woods have a diverse bat community as ten out of eleven possible bat species were detected. Furthermore, foraging habitat selection was species-specific, and could be driven by wing loading and competitive exclusion. Indiana bat occupancy was consistent throughout the woods; habitat did not affect occupancy. Indiana bat detection was not affected by habitat or precipitation but was positively correlated with temperature. As temperatures increased, bat detection probabilities also increased. In Chapter 2, I conducted stationary acoustic surveys in the WSU woods in riparian, edge, and old-growth habitats to record Indiana bat social calls. The WSU woods housed federally endangered bats, and likely Indiana bat maternal roost sites indicated by the presence of isolation calls. This study also demonstrated that habitat analysis using social calls is a viable way to detect quality foraging areas and maternal roost sites.
Page Count
54
Department or Program
Department of Biological Sciences
Year Degree Awarded
2019
Copyright
Copyright 2019, all rights reserved. My ETD will be available under the "Fair Use" terms of copyright law.
