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Effects of Human Land Use on the Activity, Diversity, and Distribution of Native Bats

Turner, Tyler Norman
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522839181353869

Abstract Details

2018, Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
Bats play critical roles in the numerous ecosystems they inhabit as nutrient cyclers, pollinators, and major sources of pest control. In agricultural landscapes, such as those in the Oak Openings, these services can be extremely valuable. Unfortunately, bats face population declines due to threats such as wind farms along migration routes, the lethal fungal disease white-nose syndrome, and habitat degradation and loss due to anthropogenic pressures. The objective of this study was to examine how native bats are using both natural and human dominated landscapes within this region while identifying features within these landscapes that promote bat activity and diversity. To do so I developed a three-part study to observe spatial and temporal trends. First, driving transects were conducted from May through September to analyze activity and diversity in three different landscape types (natural, mosaic, and agricultural landscapes). Second, paired stationary sites were set up overnight to compare core sites within Oak Openings Preserve to edge sites to assess how bats responded to areas of natural landscapes directly facing human pressure. Finally, with the help of citizen science volunteers, walking surveys were conducted through three different parks, as part of an ongoing project of the Root Lab at BGSU, to look at temporal trends in bat populations. Over the course of five months and more than 50 nights, I recorded and identified over 2,200 bat calls. The majority of these calls (95%) were dominated by just three bat species (big brown, silver-haired, and eastern red). I found a significant decrease in activity in agricultural landscapes (p=0.04, Pearson’s Test), compared to mosaic and natural landscapes. I also found certain landscape features, such as canopy cover and distance to riparian systems, were correlated with bat activity. Within the Oak Openings Park, I found that core natural sites had significantly more activity than edge or savanna sites. There was no difference between interior edges and exterior edges, suggesting human impact has little to do with how bats are using these edges. However, vegetation density and canopy cover were predictors of increased relative foraging activity, increasing our understanding of how the bats are using their environment. This finding suggests that both natural and human dominated landscapes can be managed to promote bat activity and diversity. This is important as there was evidence of long term population declines and declines in total number of observed species in the third study. By properly managing both natural and human dominated landscapes, we can help mitigate both current and future threats that bats may face.
Karen Root, PhD (Advisor)
Kevin McCluney, PhD (Committee Member)
Helen Michaels, PhD (Committee Member)
130 p.
Biology
Bats; Agriculture; Landscape Ecology; Ohio; Chiroptera; Citizen Science; Acoustic Monitoring;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Turner, T. N. (2018). Effects of Human Land Use on the Activity, Diversity, and Distribution of Native Bats [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522839181353869

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Turner, Tyler. Effects of Human Land Use on the Activity, Diversity, and Distribution of Native Bats. 2018. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522839181353869.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Turner, Tyler. "Effects of Human Land Use on the Activity, Diversity, and Distribution of Native Bats." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1522839181353869

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1522839181353869
747
© 2018, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Effects of Human Land Use on the Activity, Diversity, and Distribution of Native Bats by Tyler Norman Turner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.