Seasonal Use and Selection of Caves by the Eastern Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus subflavus)

Briggler, Jeffrey T.; Prather, John W.

doi:10.1674/0003-0031(2003)149[0406:suasoc]2.0.co;2

Cited by 36 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Sandel et al (2001) found that minimum cave temperature was a significant microclimate predictor of the abundance of bats in Texas hibernacula, but this was not the case in New Brunswick. Briggler and Prather (2003) found that Perimyotis subflavus was significantly more likely to be found in Arkansas caves with higher temperatures (11.4°C vs. 10.5°C), but in New Brunswick we found bat abundance was negatively correlated with increasing average winter dark zone temperature, once non-hibernacula (the two coldest caves) were excluded.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

“…and low on the cave walls. This tendency of P. subflavus to hibernate individually has also been observed in caves in Ontario (Hitchcock 1949), Missouri (Guthrie 1933), Arkansas (Briggler andPrather 2003), andFlorida (McNabb 1974).…”

Section: Bat Counts In Hibernaculamentioning

confidence: 53%

“…In England, Glover and Altringham (2008) found that bat swarming (mating) activity was negatively correlated with the amount of water passing through a cave. Briggler and Prather (2003) found that bats in Arkansas prefer to hibernate in larger caves because these caves have greater buffering capacity. Bat abundance was not correlated with cave length in New Brunswick.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bat Populations and Cave Microclimate Prior to and at the Outbreak of White-Nose Syndrome in New Brunswick

et al. 2012

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. 2012. Bat populations and cave microclimate prior to and at the outbreak of white-nose syndrome in New Brunswick. Canadian Field-Naturalist 126(2): 125-134.Information on bat populations and hibernacula is important for understanding the impacts of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fatal fungal disease of bats. Estimates of bat populations prior to the outbreak of white-nose syndrome are presented for 2009-2011 for the most significant bat hibernacula known in New Brunswick. At one of these sites we recorded a major mortality event from white-nose syndrome, the first in the Maritime provinces, late in the winter of 2011. Winter surveys of hibernating bats suggest that a minimum of 7 000 bats overwintered in these hibernacula prior to the outbreak of white-nose syndrome in New Brunswick. The majority of hibernating bats in New Brunswick caves are Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Myotis) and M. septentrionalis (Northern Myotis), with low numbers of Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat). The New Brunswick hibernacula that support the greatest numbers of overwintering bats have little temperature variation, winter dark zone temperatures averaging 4-5°C, and minimum dark zone temperatures dropping to no lower than 3.1°C. New Brunswick caves with these temperature patterns characteristically have ≥140 m of main passage and lack both running water and multiple entrances. Few cave sites in the province meet these criteria, and the known winter bat population appears to be smaller than the summer population. Many bats present during the summer in New Brunswick either hibernate in unknown locations in the province or migrate out of the province to locate suitable hibernacula. Such movements may have hastened the arrival of white-nose syndrome in New Brunswick.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 72%

Section: Bat Counts In Hibernaculamentioning

confidence: 53%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bat Populations and Cave Microclimate Prior to and at the Outbreak of White-Nose Syndrome in New Brunswick

et al. 2012

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“…The fact that larger caves support both greater numbers (Raesley and Gates, 1987;Briggler and Prather, 2003) and greater diversity of bats (Arita, 1996;Fuszara et al, 1996;Brunet and Medellín, 2001;Nui et al, 2007) has been well documented, but small caves have also been observed as a source of hibernacula for some species. For example, Ozark big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) (Prather and Briggler, 2002) and eastern pipistrelles 1 (Perimyotis subflavus) (Briggler and Prather, 2003) both utilize small caves as hibernacula. Prather and Briggler (2002) observed that the endangered Ozark big-eared bat used small caves to such an extant that they recommended those in their study area be protected and further surveys for Ozark big-eared bats be conducted in additional small caves.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cave morphology was selected as the limiting factor to be tested, because exterior habitat appears to have little to no relationship with the selection of a cave as a hibernaculum (Raesley and Gates, 1987;Briggler and Prather, 2003), while the interior climate that results from morphological features has been known to influence roost selection (Arita and Vargas, 1995;Rodriquez-Duran, 1998).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Small Caves as Bat Hibernacula in Iowa

Dixon¹

2011

JCKS

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Small caves provide habitat for a variety of species, including bats. Past research on cave bats in Iowa has focused on a few large caves. Large caves are uncommon and represent only a portion of the known caves in the state. Since few hibernacula are protected in Iowa and no assessment of small caves has been done, bat census data were compared to cave morphology to determine the significance of small caves as hibernacula. Twelve years of census data (1998)(1999)(2000)(2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009) were reviewed for small caves (# 50.0 m in length) where hibernating bats had been documented. Four morphological features were compared against the data: entrance aspect, entrance size, cave length, and internal surface area. Student's t-test and Spearman rank correlation were used to test for relationships between the presence and abundance of each species and each of the four morphological features. The eastern pipistrelle occurred in 68% of the caves, and the little brown bat in 24%. Student's t-test showed a significant correlation with cave length for eastern pipistrelles. Spearman rank correlation showed a significant negative correlation with entrance aspect and significant positive correlations for cave length and internal surface area for eastern pipistrelles. The results are different from previous studies on larger Iowa caves, which showed big brown bats and little brown bats as the most abundant species. Eastern pipistrelles preferred larger caves with vertical entrances. However, large is a subjective term, and the results indicate that small caves are an important source of hibernacula for the eastern pipistrelle.

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Changes in hibernating tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) roosting behavior in response to white‐nose syndrome

Loeb

Winters

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Understanding animals' behavioral and physiological responses to pathogenic diseases is critical for management and conservation. One such disease, white‐nose syndrome (WNS), has greatly affected bat populations throughout eastern North America leading to significant population declines in several species. Although tricolored bat ( Perimyotis subflavus ) populations have experienced significant declines, little research has been conducted on their responses to the disease, particularly in the southeastern United States. Our objective was to document changes in tricolored bat roost site use after the appearance of WNS in a hibernaculum in the southeastern U.S. and relate these to microsite temperatures, ambient conditions, and population trends. We censused a tricolored bat hibernaculum in northwestern South Carolina, USA, once each year between February 26 and March 2, 2014–2021, and recorded species, section of the tunnel, distance from the entrance, and wall temperature next to each bat. The number of tricolored bats in the hibernaculum dropped by 90.3% during the first 3 years after the arrival of WNS. However, numbers stabilized and slightly increased from 2018 to 2021. Prior to the arrival of WNS, 95.6% of tricolored bats roosted in the back portion of the tunnel that was the warmest. After the arrival of WNS, we observed a significant increase in the proportion of bats using the front, colder portions of the tunnel, particularly during the period of population stabilization and increase. Roost temperatures of bats were also positively associated with February external temperatures. Our results suggest that greater use of the colder sections of the tunnel by tricolored bats could have led to increased survival due to slower growth rates of the fungus that causes WNS in colder temperatures or decreased energetic costs associated with colder hibernation temperatures. Thus, management actions that provide cold hibernacula may be an option for long‐term management of hibernacula, particularly in southern regions.

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Seasonal Use and Selection of Caves by the Eastern Pipistrelle Bat (Pipistrellus subflavus)

Cited by 36 publications

References 7 publications

Bat Populations and Cave Microclimate Prior to and at the Outbreak of White-Nose Syndrome in New Brunswick

Bat Populations and Cave Microclimate Prior to and at the Outbreak of White-Nose Syndrome in New Brunswick

The Role of Small Caves as Bat Hibernacula in Iowa

Changes in hibernating tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) roosting behavior in response to white‐nose syndrome

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