Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us?
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Abstract
Bat day-roost selection often is described through comparisons of day-roosts with randomly selected, and assumed unused, trees. Relatively few studies, however, look at patterns of multi-year selection or compare day-roosts used across years. We explored day-roost selection using 2 years of roost selection data for female northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) on the Fort Knox Military Reservation, Kentucky, USA. We compared characteristics of randomly selected non-roost trees and day-roosts using a multinomial logistic model and day-roost species selection using chi-squared tests. We found that factors differentiating day-roosts from non-roosts and day-roosts between years varied. Day-roosts differed from non-roosts in the first year of data in all measured factors, but only in size and decay stage in the second year. Between years, day-roosts differed in size and canopy position, but not decay stage. Day-roost species selection was non-random and did not differ between years. Although bats used multiple trees, our results suggest that there were additional unused trees that were suitable as roosts at any time. Day-roost selection pattern descriptions will be inadequate if based only on a single year of data, and inferences of roost selection based only on comparisons of roost to non-roosts should be limited.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us? |
| Series title | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.gecco.2015.03.008 |
| Volume | 3 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Leetown |
| Description | 8 p. |
| First page | 756 |
| Last page | 763 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |