Date of Award

1-1-2023

Language

English

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

College/School/Department

Department of Biological Sciences

Content Description

1 online resource (vi, 80 pages) : illustrations (some color)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Ing-Nang Wang

Committee Members

Wendy Turner, Samantha Hoff, Carl Herzog

Keywords

Hibernation behavior, Myotis septentrionalis, Northern long-eared bat, Northern myotis, Winter foraging, Northern long-eared myotis, White-nose syndrome

Subject Categories

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Abstract

The northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) is a bat species suffering massive population declines due to the effects of white nose syndrome, a severe and pervasive disease threatening extinction across the species range. A remnant population of northern myotis capable of persisting despite infection with the disease has been identified across three coastal islands: Long Island, NY; Martha’s Vineyard, MA; and Nantucket, MA. This study looked to uncover the mechanisms for survival by characterizing activity of northern myotis and potential prey species throughout the hibernation season. Bat activity was monitored during the 2017/18, 2018/19, and 2019/20 winter seasons at known foraging sites and both within and in proximity to known hibernacula using bat acoustic recordings. Employing the assistance of citizen scientists, we monitored the presence and seasonality of insects through light and bait trapping on these coastal islands during the 2018/19 and 2019/20 winter seasons. A comparison of bat activity as determined by acoustic monitoring, and insect presence within aforementioned traps highlights a relationship between maximum day temperature and activity of both predator and potential prey on the landscape. Identification of captured arthropod species reveal expanded geographic and seasonal ranges, likely due to the mild coastal climate. I analyzed DNA from guano collected from hibernacula and during year-round netting to identify coastal northern myotis diet and confirm consumption of winter-active presumed prey. I propose coastal populations of northern myotis are feeding on winter-active insects during mid-winter arousals to supplement their energy stores and it is this unique relationship between host and its environment in these mild coastal climates that enables persistence despite Pd invasion. .

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