Use of pinyon-juniper woodlands by bats in New Mexico

Chung-MacCoubrey, Alice

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2004.09.005

Cited by 16 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Our work highlights the bat communities in or near western juniper habitats in the Intermountain West. Studies in analogous pinyon Pinus monophylla or Pinus edulis-juniper Juniperus osteosperma or Juniperus scopulorum arid woodland habitats in California, Nevada, Colorado, and New Mexico have documented the importance of these areas to bats, both for foraging and as roost and maternity colony sites (Szewczak et al 1998;Chung-MacCoubrey 2003, 2005Snider et al 2013). Western juniper habitats may provide similar values for bat fauna, and this inventory provides a platform for further investigation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Biodiversity Sampling for Bat Assemblages in Northwestern Nevada

Gunst

Klinger

Hamilton

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

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Bat (Chiroptera) assemblages in the western North America remain understudied despite their importance to ecosystem function and vulnerability to multiple anthropogenic stressors. We present the first large-scale survey that we are aware of for bat fauna in the Black Rock Plateau of northwestern Nevada in the northern Great Basin Desert. We conducted surveys using both acoustic and mist net methods, documenting 14 species across 19 sites sampled during a four-night period in August 2016. We surveyed over water sources, usually surrounded by cliff and canyon habitat, and in salt desert scrub, sagebrush, and woodland habitats, detecting multiple sensitive bat species (spotted bat Euderma maculatum, little brown bat Myotis lucifugus, canyon bat Parastrellus hesperus) in the canyon habitats of the High Rock region. We analyzed regional species diversity and present the utility of using multiple detection methods to enhance understanding of Chiroptera biodiversity at both local and regional scales. Our results demonstrate the utility of “BioBlitz” approaches in documenting local and regional diversity and provide insight into areas with species assemblages or vulnerable species. Knowledge of these sites is increasingly important for future disease surveillance and population monitoring.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid Biodiversity Sampling for Bat Assemblages in Northwestern Nevada

Gunst

Klinger

Hamilton

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

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“…and juniper ( Juniperus spp.) woodlands in western New Mexico [ 64 ]. In their review of bat mortality at wind energy facilities in the United States and Canada, Thompson et al [ 65 ] found that higher bat mortality was associated with less grassland cover and more forest cover surrounding the turbine.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Informing wind energy development: Land cover and topography predict occupancy for Arizona bats

2022

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Wind energy is a growing source of renewable energy with a 3-fold increase in use globally over the last decade. However, wind turbines cause bat mortality, especially for migratory species. The southwest United States has high bat species diversity and is an important area for migratory species, although little is known about their seasonal distribution. To examine potential risk to bats in areas proposed for wind energy development, we characterized bat occupancy spatially and temporally across northern Arizona, identifying use during summer when bats are reproductively active and fall during the migratory season. Our objectives were to determine occupancy of migratory species and species of greatest conservation need and develop a probability of occupancy map for species to identify areas of potential conflict with wind energy development. We selected 92 sites in 10 clusters with potential for development and used acoustic detectors to sample bats in the summer and fall of 2016 and 2017 for 6 nights per site per year. We predicted response of migratory bat species and species of special concern to 9 landscape variables using Program MARK. During summer, higher densities of forest on the landscape resulted in a higher probability of occupancy of migratory species such as hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus), silver-haired bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans), big free-tailed bats (Nyctinomops macrotis), and species of conservation need such as spotted bats (Euderma maculatum). During the fall, higher concentration of valleys on the landscape predicted occupancy of hoary bats, big free-tailed bats, and spotted bats. High bat occupancy in the fall was also associated with higher elevation and close proximity to forests. We recommend that wind turbines be placed in open, flat grasslands away from forested landscapes and concentrations of valleys or other topographic variation.

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“…Several of these species are rarely found outside of pinyon and juniper woodlands, including pinyon mice (Peromyscus truei), cliff chipmunks (Tamias dorsalis), Yuma myotis (Myotis yumanensis), white-tailed antelope squirrels (Ammospermophilus leucurus), Apache pocket mice (Perognathus apache), desert woodrats (Neotoma lepida), kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis), ringtails (Bassarisdus astutus), and white-backed hog-nosed skunks (Conepatus mesoleucus ) (Finch and Ruggerio 1993). Additionally, Chung-MacCoubrey (2005) found that bat diversity was higher in pinyon and juniper woodlands than in nearby ponderosa pine forests in New Mexico, and that pinyon and juniper woodlands may provide important breeding habitat for several bat species. Pinyon and juniper ecosystems may also supply critical wintering habitat for mule deer by providing thermal and security cover (Bender et al 2007, Anderson et al 2012, and important habitat for elk (Cervus elaphus), by providing bedding sites (Bender et al 2012).…”

Section: Wildlife Use Of Pinyon and Juniper Woodlandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Consequences of pinyon and juniper woodland reduction for wildlife in North America

Bombaci

Pejchar

2016

Forest Ecology and Management

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Pinyon and juniper (Pinus spp., Juniperus spp.) woodlands are expanding into shrublands and grasslands throughout much of western North America. Woodland reduction is frequently used to mitigate the effects of conifer encroachment on game species (e.g. mule deer Odocoileus hemionus) and shrub and grassland-obligate species (e.g. sage grouse Centrocercus spp.). Although these practices are widespread, previous studies on the effects of woodland reduction on animal communities have not yet been synthesized, making it difficult to set priorities for future research and practice. To address this gap, we first summarize the history of pinyon and juniper reduction in western North America and characterize known wildlife habitat associations in pinyon and juniper ecosystems. We then review and synthesize evidence from the scientific literature on wildlife responses to pinyon and juniper woodland reduction. We tallied the outcomes of these studies to determine the relative proportions of positive, negative, and nonsignificant responses by different taxonomic groups and functional groups. The majority (69%) of animal species responses to woodland reduction treatments were non-significant. However, particular groups of species (taxonomic and/or functional) were more likely to respond positively or negatively, depending on the woodland reduction treatment method. Unexpectedly, investigators often found non-significant or negative responses by ungulates to woodland reduction, and non-significant responses by sagebrush obligate species. However, few studies measured effects on sagebrush obligate species, which limits inference for this group. Indeed, our review demonstrates that the effects of woodland reduction are well-understood for only a subset of taxonomic groups (e.g. birds and small mammals); whereas other groups (e.g. reptiles and terrestrial invertebrates) are consistently under-studied. Further, a shortage of large-scale and long-term research limits our ability to fully understand spatial and temporal wildlife responses to woodland reduction. We encourage practitioners to design and implement pinyon and juniper reduction projects to experimentally assess the effects of these practices on both target and nontarget species. Adopting consistent monitoring protocols across projects would also facilitate greater understanding of how factors such as treatment type, size, location and duration result in positive or negative impacts to diverse wildlife of conservation concern.

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Use of pinyon-juniper woodlands by bats in New Mexico

Cited by 16 publications

References 44 publications

Rapid Biodiversity Sampling for Bat Assemblages in Northwestern Nevada

Rapid Biodiversity Sampling for Bat Assemblages in Northwestern Nevada

Informing wind energy development: Land cover and topography predict occupancy for Arizona bats

Consequences of pinyon and juniper woodland reduction for wildlife in North America

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