Altering artificial abodes: Addressing two management concerns of artificial roosts for imperiled bat species

Boman, Melissa Sue

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/121562 Copy

Description

Title

Altering artificial abodes: Addressing two management concerns of artificial roosts for imperiled bat species

Author(s)

Boman, Melissa Sue

Issue Date

2023-07-21

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

O'Keefe, Joy M

Committee Member(s)

• Suski, Cory D
• Wolff, Patrick J

Department of Study

Natural Res & Env Sci

Discipline

Natural Res & Env Sciences

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.S.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• bats
• bat boxes
• artificial habitat
• habitat management
• wildlife management
• artificial roosts
• conservation

Abstract

Artificial roost structures are promoted to supplement or compensate for roost loss, providing critical summer reproductive habitat for bats. Two management concerns for bat boxes have surfaced in recent years: providing high-quality habitat in the context of suitable microclimates for females and their pups and seeing a return on investment in artificial structures through bat uptake of newly installed roosts. We installed novel artificial roosts in central Minnesota to evaluate methods of improving bat boxes as management tools. We addressed these questions in two research chapters. First, we compared temperature profiles between a standard rocket box design and two modified versions: a box insulated by an external water jacket and an elongated box with an attic space inaccessible to bats. We found the insulated design had lower maximum temperature differentials during the day, fewer overheating events, and retained warmer temperatures throughout the night compared to the reference and attic designs. These results indicate that insulation has the potential to improve the suitability of bat boxes for reproductive females and their pups and should be considered in guidelines for box design. Second, we tested social call playbacks as lures for increasing site activity and uptake of novel roosts. We recorded bat activity using acoustic detectors and monitored boxes using trail cameras and spotlight observations. Three bat species readily used the boxes regardless of lure treatment (Myotis lucifugus, Eptesicus fuscus, Lasionycteris noctivagans). While the lure was an important predictor of the number of bats in boxes, effect sizes were small, and bat occupancy overall was low regardless of lure treatment. The lure treatment positively increased the activity (calls/night) of the focal species, Myotis lucifugus, but did not affect the activity of other species that used boxes in our study. These results suggest that lures may help bats find and use novel roosts, but more work is needed to improve this methodology. We suggest that attraction to artificial habitats will depend on the quality and attractiveness of the habitat provided.

Graduation Semester

2023-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2023 Melissa Boman

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