UCBN Bat Monitoring

UCBN. UCBN Bat Monitoring. 2015. National Park Service

Bats are a beneficial and essential part of regional ecosystems. They eat night-flying insects, pollinate plants (including many commercial species), and help disperse seeds. Their conservation status, however, is uncertain. Several emerging threats may cause bat numbers to decline. The westward advance of the disease known as white-nose syndrome, and the rapidly expanding number of wind energy turbines, (which kill many bats in some areas of the country), are both affecting bat populations. Bats are long-lived and tend to use the same feeding and roosting sites over time, which make them well-suited for long-term monitoring. Changes in bat species presence and activity patterns at lava tube caves in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve will serve as good indicators of environmental change and will help guide park cave management decisions. Visitors in lava tube caves may inadvertently lead to the introduction of the fungus, Geomyces destructans, that causes white-nose syndrome. Monitoring bat in caves will help us with early detection of the disease in the region. Monitoring Objectives Estimate status and trend of bat use in safely accessible lava tube caves in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve during winter hibernation.

Type
Project
Authors
UCBN
Publisher
National Park Service
Keywords
bats, Geomyces destructans, white-nose syndrome
Subjects
Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Mammals

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