Day-roosts of female long-eared myotis in western Oregon

Journal of Wildlife Management
By: , and 

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Abstract

Roosts are a critical habitat component for bats and may influence their survival and fitness. We used radiotelemetry to investigate characteristics of day-roosts of female long-eared myotis (Myotis evotis) in watersheds characterized by different forest conditions and the spatial relationships between day-roosts and available water. We tracked 21 bats to 73 roosts (n = 102 occasions) from June to August 1996 and 1997 on the western slope of the Cascade Mountains, Oregon. Bats primarily used conifer stumps as day-roosts in watersheds dominated by younger forests and used conifer snags, and to a lesser extent conifer stumps, in watersheds with greater proportions of older forests. Individual long-eared myotis used different types of structures as day-roosts, and type of structure used did not differ with reproductive condition. Day-roosts were primarily located in upslope habitat and averaged 0.59 ± 0.03 km from available water and 0.66 ± 0.02 km from capture sites. Roosts were not located closer to available water than random points, but were closer than random points to captures sites. Conifer snags used as day-roosts averaged 34 ± 5 m in height and 93 ± 12 cm diameter at breast height (dbh); snags in intermediate stages of decay had highest use. Use of conifer snags was positively associated with the number of snags within 20 m and negatively associated with distance from stand edge. Conifer stumps used as day-roosts averaged 133 ± 9 cm in height and 59 ± 4 cm dbh. Western hemlock and Douglas-fir stumps were used more often than western redcedar stumps as day-roosts. Odds of a stump being used as a day-roost increased with increasing height of the stump (downhill side) and whether it was situated in a gap in vegetation. We contend that management of day-roosts for forest-dwelling bats should focus on maintaining large conifer snags across landscapes through space and time. In landscapes where there are relatively few large conifer snags, stumps appear to provide important, but ephemeral, roosts for long-eared myotis.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Day-roosts of female long-eared myotis in western Oregon
Series title Journal of Wildlife Management
DOI 10.2307/3802749
Volume 64
Issue 3
Year Published 2000
Language English
Publisher The Wildlife Society
Contributing office(s) Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Description 12 p.
First page 785
Last page 796
Country United States
State Oregon
Other Geospatial Cascade Mountains
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