Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us?
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 se...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2015-01-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989415000347 |
| _version_ | 1819136565950021632 |
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| author | Alexander Silvis W. Mark Ford Eric R. Britzke |
| author_facet | Alexander Silvis W. Mark Ford Eric R. Britzke |
| author_sort | Alexander Silvis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T10:37:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-62abe1d5bab0472ebf113142d1779319 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T10:37:00Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-62abe1d5bab0472ebf113142d17793192022-12-21T18:29:08ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942015-01-013C75676310.1016/j.gecco.2015.03.008Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us?Alexander Silvis0W. Mark Ford1Eric R. Britzke2Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United StatesDepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, United StatesUS Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Environmental Laboratory, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180, United StatesBat 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989415000347Myotis septentrionalisNorthern long-eared batDay-roost selectionDay-roost comparisonMultinomialRoost selection |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Silvis W. Mark Ford Eric R. Britzke Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us? Global Ecology and Conservation Myotis septentrionalis Northern long-eared bat Day-roost selection Day-roost comparison Multinomial Roost selection |
| title | Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us? |
| title_full | Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us? |
| title_fullStr | Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us? |
| title_short | Day-roost tree selection by northern long-eared bats—What do non-roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us? |
| title_sort | day roost tree selection by northern long eared bats what do non roost tree comparisons and one year of data really tell us |
| topic | Myotis septentrionalis Northern long-eared bat Day-roost selection Day-roost comparison Multinomial Roost selection |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989415000347 |
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