The Trophic Ecology of Insectivorous Bats in the Eastern United States and their Ecological Impact to Forests
Beilke EA. 2022. The Trophic Ecology of Insectivorous Bats in the Eastern United States and their Ecological Impact to Forests. Indiana State University
ABSTRACT (in part): Insectivorous bats comprise the majority of the >1400 species of bat that occur globally. They are the main predators of night-flying insects, and there is increasing evidence that their insectivory suppresses insect populations, indirectly benefits vegetation, and thusly holds significant ecological and economic value, particularly within agricultural landscapes. However, like countless other species, many of these bats are both understudied and imperiled. Habitat loss, human conflict, and mass mortality events (such as those caused by white-nose syndrome or collisions with wind turbines) have left many bat populations devastated, with unknown ecological consequences. In Chapter 1, we examined patterns of spatial and temporal partitioning in bat acoustic activity across a broad, heterogeneous landscape. We surveyed 50 sites for multiple nights across two years in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina, USA. We found evidence for both spatial and temporal resource partitioning between different ecological groups of bats.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Beilke, Elizabeth
- Date of Issue
- 2022-05
- Publisher
- Indiana State University
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- bats, Chiroptera, Dissertation, GRSM-01179, Mammals, spatial partitioning, temporal partitioning