Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Committee Members
Volker Bahn, Ph.D. (Advisor); John Stireman, Ph.D. (Committee Member); Katie Hossler, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Abstract
North American bats are an excellent control of pests as most are insectivorous feeders. They face numerous threats including habitat loss, anthropogenic development, disease (White-nose Syndrome), and potentially artificial light at night (ALAN). It is important to track species populations and habitat-use to determine the magnitude of effects from these threats. Acoustic monitoring has proven a useful and non-invasive method for tracking bat populations. In my research, I conducted stationary acoustic surveys of bat activity at Wright State University’s Runkle Woods and nearby Huffman MetroPark during the summers of 2023 and 2024. I recorded bat calls in three different habitats at both of these locations: forest edge, forest interior, and riparian habitat. I also wanted to look at the effects that ALAN has on bats, and therefore, recorded bat calls under an artificially lit treatment paired with a naturally dark treatment at Runkle Woods. My goal for this study was to (1) determine bat activity and habitat-use across species, habitats, and locations, and (2) determine the effects that ALAN has on bat species activity and habitat-use. Due to the level of openness and minimal clutter, I hypothesized bat activity to be greatest at riparian sites for Huffman MetroPark and at edge sites for Runkle Woods. I also hypothesized bigger, faster-flying bat species to be more abundant in open habitats, while smaller, slower-flying species should be more abundant in vegetation, or cluttered habitats. My final hypothesis was that bigger, faster-flying bat species would be more active under ALAN, while smaller, slower-flying bats should be more active under the dark treatment. I ran a generalized linear mixed model and found bat activity was highest at riparian sites for Huffman MetroPark and at edge sites for Runkle Woods. To address my second hypothesis, regression trendlines showed an increase in bat activity with mass and wing-loading, but more so in edge habitats. This indicates a selection of edge habitats by the heaviest bats with the highest wing loading which are typically also the fastest fliers. Lastly, I found bat activity significantly differed by species but not by treatment (DARK/LIGHT). My research illustrates the importance of having forests with different habitats and various levels of clutter to accommodate species-specific preferences of habitat-use.
Page Count
63
Department or Program
Department of Biological Sciences
Year Degree Awarded
2025
Copyright
Copyright 2025, all rights reserved. My ETD will be available under the "Fair Use" terms of copyright law.
ORCID ID
0009-0005-7287-4676
