Benefits of Living in a Building: Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus Fuscus) in Rocks Versus Buildings

Maternity roost site selection of big brown bats in ponderosa pine forests of the Channeled Scablands of northeastern Washington State, USA

“…Our findings are in contrast to Lausen and Barclay's (2006) conclusion that these bats select buildings over natural roosts, however big brown bats in their study were roosting in rock crevices rather than trees.…”

“…Although big brown maternity colonies are often found in buildings (Showalter and Gunson, 1979;www.elsevier.com/locate/foreco Forest Ecology and Management 248 (2007) [183][184][185][186][187][188][189][190][191][192] Brigham and Fenton, 1986;Cope et al, 1991;Williams and Brittingham, 1997), Brigham (1991) found colonies only in ponderosa pine snags in south-central British Columbia, despite the availability of buildings. In contrast, Lausen and Barclay (2006) concluded that female big brown bats gain certain benefits with respect to predation risks, juvenile growth rates, and energy savings by selecting maternity roosts in buildings over rocks. These observations support Brigham's (1991) suggestion that additional studies of roost-site selection of reproductive big brown bats were necessary to determine if their use of buildings is a result of loss of natural roosting habitat.…”

Roost tree selection by northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colonies following prescribed fire in a Central Appalachian Mountains hardwood forest

“…Additionally, canopy gaps in the fire treatment were associated with slightly higher maximum daily temperatures at roost trees and undoubtedly inside roost tree cavities. Higher roost temperatures could facilitate more rapid growth of developing juvenile bats (Sedgeley, 2001;Boyles and Aubrey, 2006;Lausen and Barclay, 2006;Turbill and Geiser, 2008). Roost temperatures can be influenced by the amount of canopy gap as well as by the location of the roost tree with respect to landform (Lacki and Schweirjohann, 2001).…”

“…Moreover, firekilled trees leave gaps in the forest canopy, increasing the amount of solar radiation reaching the subcanopy, i.e., lower tree limbs and boles, where bats roost (Menzel et al, 2001). Increased solar radiation may be a preferred characteristic of bat roost sites, as warmer temperatures facilitate more rapid development of neonates (Sedgeley, 2001;Boyles and Aubrey, 2006;Lausen and Barclay, 2006). However, loss of foliage from fire-killed trees could reduce the roosting opportunities for foliage-roosting bats, including the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and eastern red bat (L. borealis).…”

Factors affecting hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) attraction to rural villages in arable landscapes

“…Warmer temperatures may also result in higher availability of invertebrate prey for hedgehogs (Crawford-Sidebotham 1972;Edwards and Bohlen 1996;Honek 1997) and increased chances of survival during winter hibernation (Hubert et al 2011). Villages may offer nest sites with stable temperatures for hibernation, such as in or under buildings (Lausen and Barclay 2006).…”