Bat Activity Following Restoration Prescribed Burning in the Central Appalachian Upland and Riparian Habitats

Austin, Lauren V.; Silvis, Alexander; Ford, W. Mark; Muthersbaugh, Michael S.; Powers, Karen

doi:10.3375/043.038.0208

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Relative bat activity levels of WNS-affected species, while not a focal point of this study, have been documented as currently very low in the central Appalachians (Austin et al 2018) and other WNS-affected areas (Brooks 2011;Dzal et al 2011;Ford et al 2011;Jachowski et al 2014). Population declines are known to have occurred because of WNS (Reynolds et al 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Although there are increasing numbers of prescribed burns in the central Appalachians (Brose et al 2011), it is a small percentage annually (\ 5%) of public lands overall (USDA Forest Service 2014; Young et al 2017), and the limited history of prescribed fire precludes assessment of the long-term impacts of fire. Historic wildfires, although variable in intensity and size than prescribed fires on nearby national forest or state lands (Austin et al 2018), offer a pragmatic surrogate to assess long-term burn impacts on bats that can be used to better incorporate both bat and fire ecology into land management plans. Our objectives, therefore, were to assess patterns of site occupancy by bat species among variously aged burned stands and paired unburned stands in the central Appalachians.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of historic wildfire and prescribed fire on site occupancy of bats in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA

et al. 2019

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Given the likelihood of regional extirpation of several once-common bat species in eastern North America from white-nose syndrome, it is critical that the impacts of forest management activities, such as prescribed fire, are known in order to minimize potentially additive negative effects on bat populations. Historic wildfires may offer a suitable surrogate to assess long-term burn impacts on bats for planning, implementing and assessing burn programs. To examine the effects of historic fire on bats, we sampled bat activities at 24 transect locations in burned and unburned forest stands in the central Appalachian Mountains of Shenandoah National Park (SNP), Virginia, USA. There was limited evidence of positive fire effects over time on hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus Beauvois) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus Beauvois) occupancy. Overall, there were few or mostly equivocal relationships of bat occupancy relative to burn conditions or time since fire in SNP across species using a false-positive occupancy approach. Our results suggest that fire does not strongly affect bat site occupancy short-or long-term in the central Appalachians.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of historic wildfire and prescribed fire on site occupancy of bats in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA

et al. 2019

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“…Low correlation between edge-adapted foraging strategy and fire and forest structure variables ( Figure 4) was likely due to variation in individual species' relationships to fire regime and forest structure variables ( Figure 2). Previous studies of M. lucifugus and E. fuscus reported no effect of fire on activity (Austin, Silvis, Ford, Muthersbaugh, & Powers, 2018;Loeb & Waldrop, 2008;Silvis, Gehrt, & Williams, 2016), but that work focused on prescribed fire, which likely burned at relatively lower severity than much of the wildfire that occurred within our study area. The positive association between M. lucifugus occupancy and recent fires may be influenced by the species' preference for aquatic prey, as pulses in aquatic productivity can be stimulated by fire (Malison & Baxter, 2010;Roby & Azuma, 1995).…”

Section: Relationships Between Fire and Individual Species Occupancymentioning

confidence: 77%

Bats in a changing landscape: Linking occupancy and traits of a diverse montane bat community to fire regime

Blakey

Webb

Kesler

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Wildfires are increasing in incidence and severity across coniferous forests of the western United States, leading to changes in forest structure and wildlife habitats. Knowledge of how species respond to fire‐driven habitat changes in these landscapes is limited and generally disconnected from our understanding of adaptations that underpin responses to fire. We aimed to investigate drivers of occupancy of a diverse bat community in a fire‐altered landscape, while identifying functional traits that underpinned these relationships. We recorded bats acoustically at 83 sites ( n = 249 recording nights) across the Plumas National Forest in the northern Sierra Nevada over 3 summers (2015–2017). We investigated relationships between fire regime, physiographic variables, forest structure and probability of bat occupancy for nine frequently detected species. We used fourth‐corner regression and RLQ analysis to identify ecomorphological traits driving species–environment relationships across 17 bat species. Traits included body mass; call frequency, bandwidth, and duration; and foraging strategy based on vegetation structure (open, edge, or clutter). Relationships between bat traits and fire regime were underpinned by adaptations to diverse forest structure. Bats with traits adapting them to foraging in open habitats, including emitting longer duration and narrow bandwidth calls, were associated with higher severity and more frequent fires, whereas bats with traits consistent with clutter tolerance were negatively associated with fire frequency and burn severity. Relationships between edge‐adapted bat species and fire were variable and may be influenced by prey preference or habitat configuration at a landscape scale. Predicted increases in fire frequency and severity in western US coniferous forests are likely to shift dominance in the bat community to open‐adapted species and those able to exploit postfire resource pulses (aquatic insects, beetles, and snags). Managing for pyrodiversity within the western United States is likely important for maintaining bat community diversity, as well as diversity of other biotic communities.

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“…Similarly, a previous study in southern Sierra Nevada mixed conifer forests found higher activity rates of small-bodied species within high-severity areas 8 , and a study in Idaho forests found that overall bat activity was higher in high-severity areas than unburned areas 43 . Studies of prescribed fires that mimic low- to moderate-severity wildfire have shown slightly positive to neutral response of bat species or groups 42,44,45 . Our results showing positive relationships between occupancy and burn severity for many species may indicate that foraging and/or commuting rates are increased by wildfire.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of wildfire severity and pyrodiversity on bat occupancy and diversity in fire-suppressed forests

Steel

Campos

Frick

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Wildfire is an important ecological process that influences species’ occurrence and biodiversity generally. Its effect on bats is understudied, creating challenges for habitat management and species conservation as threats to the taxa worsen globally and within fire-prone ecosystems. We conducted acoustic surveys of wildfire areas during 2014–2017 in conifer forests of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. We tested effects of burn severity and its variation, or pyrodiversity, on occupancy and diversity for the 17-species bat community while accounting for imperfect detection. Occupancy rates increased with severity for at least 6 species and with pyrodiversity for at least 3. Two other species responded negatively to pyrodiversity. Individual species models predicted maximum occupancy rates across burn severity levels but only one species occurred most often in undisturbed areas. Species richness increased from approximately 8 species in unburned forests to 11 in pyrodiverse areas with moderate- to high-severity. Greater accessibility of foraging habitats, as well as increased habitat heterogeneity may explain positive responses to wildfire. Many bat species appear well adapted to wildfire, while a century of fire suppression and forest densification likely reduced habitat quality for the community generally. Relative to other taxa, bats may be somewhat resilient to increases in fire severity and size; trends which are expected to continue with accelerating climate change.

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Bat Activity Following Restoration Prescribed Burning in the Central Appalachian Upland and Riparian Habitats

Cited by 17 publications

References 62 publications

Effects of historic wildfire and prescribed fire on site occupancy of bats in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA

Effects of historic wildfire and prescribed fire on site occupancy of bats in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, USA

Bats in a changing landscape: Linking occupancy and traits of a diverse montane bat community to fire regime

The effects of wildfire severity and pyrodiversity on bat occupancy and diversity in fire-suppressed forests

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