First Direct Evidence of Long-distance Seasonal Movements and Hibernation in a Migratory Bat

Weller, Theodore J.; Castle, Kevin T.; Liechti, Félix; Hein, Cris D.; Schirmacher, Michael R.; Cryan, Paul M.

doi:10.1038/srep34585

Cited by 68 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…This last observation suggests that there is some circulation of strains over the long distances, presumably with the help of migratory bats. A previous study, using GPS, supports this hypothesis by showing that bats can travel a round trip of over 1000 km in just one month [63]. While our study presents some cases of crossover strains from migratory bats, it also conversely shows also the strong presence of co-evolution as explained above.…”

Section: Phylogenetic and Disorder Evidence Of Co-evolutions And Posssupporting

confidence: 86%

Nipah shell disorder, modes of infection, and virulence

Goh¹,

Dunker

Foster

et al. 2020

Microbial Pathogenesis

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Section: Phylogenetic and Disorder Evidence Of Co-evolutions And Posssupporting

confidence: 86%

Nipah shell disorder, modes of infection, and virulence

Goh¹,

Dunker

Foster

et al. 2020

Microbial Pathogenesis

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“…A second solution will be to close the information gap about bat migration and other bat natural history using novel methods such as transmitter suturing developed by Castle, Weller, Cryan, Hein, and Schirmacher (2015) that has revealed long-distance movements of hoary bats (Weller et al, 2016). A third solution will be to integrate geographically extensive coordinated acoustic surveys into a conservation information system that draws on multiple lines of evidence.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors

Rodhouse

Rodriguez

Banner

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

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Strategic conservation efforts for cryptic species, especially bats, are hindered by limited understanding of distribution and population trends. Integrating long‐term encounter surveys with multi‐season occupancy models provides a solution whereby inferences about changing occupancy probabilities and latent changes in abundance can be supported. When harnessed to a Bayesian inferential paradigm, this modeling framework offers flexibility for conservation programs that need to update prior model‐based understanding about at‐risk species with new data. This scenario is exemplified by a bat monitoring program in the Pacific Northwestern United States in which results from 8 years of surveys from 2003 to 2010 require updating with new data from 2016 to 2018. The new data were collected after the arrival of bat white‐nose syndrome and expansion of wind power generation, stressors expected to cause population declines in at least two vulnerable species, little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) and the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus). We used multi‐season occupancy models with empirically informed prior distributions drawn from previous occupancy results (2003–2010) to assess evidence of contemporary decline in these two species. Empirically informed priors provided the bridge across the two monitoring periods and increased precision of parameter posterior distributions, but did not alter inferences relative to use of vague priors. We found evidence of region‐wide summertime decline for the hoary bat (trueλ^ = 0.86 ± 0.10) since 2010, but no evidence of decline for the little brown bat (trueλ^ = 1.1 ± 0.10). White‐nose syndrome was documented in the region in 2016 and may not yet have caused regional impact to the little brown bat. However, our discovery of hoary bat decline is consistent with the hypothesis that the longer duration and greater geographic extent of the wind energy stressor (collision and barotrauma) have impacted the species. These hypotheses can be evaluated and updated over time within our framework of pre–post impact monitoring and modeling. Our approach provides the foundation for a strategic evidence‐based conservation system and contributes to a growing preponderance of evidence from multiple lines of inquiry that bat species are declining.

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“…), and the first direct evidence of movements over long distances by an individual migratory bat was not published until recently (Weller et al. ). Furthermore, patterns of occurrence of bat species and individual bats at wind energy facilities and around wind turbines are the results of highly complex combinations of ecological, behavioral, and environmental processes, and these processes likely vary substantially among populations, species, species assemblages, ecoregions, and continents, and may also vary substantially from year to year.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Weller et al. ). Lasiurine species occur most frequently among bat carcasses found underneath wind turbines in North America (Arnett et al.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A smart curtailment approach for reducing bat fatalities and curtailment time at wind energy facilities

Hayes¹,

Hooton

Gilland³

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

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The development and expansion of wind energy is considered a key global threat to bat populations. Bat carcasses are being found underneath wind turbines across North and South America, Eurasia, Africa, and the Austro‐Pacific. However, relatively little is known about the comparative impacts of techniques designed to modify turbine operations in ways that reduce bat fatalities associated with wind energy facilities. This study tests a novel approach for reducing bat fatalities and curtailment time at a wind energy facility in the United States, then compares these results to operational mitigation techniques used at other study sites in North America and Europe. The study was conducted in Wisconsin during 2015 using a new system of tools for analyzing bat activity and wind speed data to make near real‐time curtailment decisions when bats are detected in the area at control turbines (N = 10) vs. treatment turbines (N = 10). The results show that this smart curtailment approach (referred to as Turbine Integrated Mortality Reduction, TIMR) significantly reduced fatality estimates for treatment turbines relative to control turbines for pooled species data, and for each of five species observed at the study site: pooled data (–84.5%); eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis, –82.5%); hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus, –81.4%); silver‐haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans, –90.9%); big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus, –74.2%); and little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus, –91.4%). The approach reduced power generation and estimated annual revenue at the wind energy facility by ≤ 3.2% for treatment turbines relative to control turbines, and we estimate that the approach would have reduced curtailment time by 48% relative to turbines operated under a standard curtailment rule used in North America. This approach significantly reduced fatalities associated with all species evaluated, each of which has broad distributions in North America and different ecological affinities, several of which represent species most affected by wind development in North America. While we recognize that this approach needs to be validated in other areas experiencing rapid wind energy development, we anticipate that this approach has the potential to significantly reduce bat fatalities in other ecoregions and with other bat species assemblages in North America and beyond.

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First Direct Evidence of Long-distance Seasonal Movements and Hibernation in a Migratory Bat

Cited by 68 publications

References 45 publications

Nipah shell disorder, modes of infection, and virulence

Nipah shell disorder, modes of infection, and virulence

Evidence of region‐wide bat population decline from long‐term monitoring and Bayesian occupancy models with empirically informed priors

A smart curtailment approach for reducing bat fatalities and curtailment time at wind energy facilities

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