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Landscape features associated with the roosting habitat of Indiana bats and northern long-eared bats

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Abstract

Context

Bat conservation in the eastern United States faces threats from white nose syndrome, wind energy, and fragmentation of habitat. To mitigate population declines, the habitat requirements of species of concern must be established. Assessments that predict habitat quality based upon landscape features can aid species management over large areas. Roosts are critical habitat for many bat species including the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) and the threatened northern long-eared bat (M. septentrionalis).

Objectives

While much is known about the microhabitat requirements of roosts, translating such knowledge into landscape-level management is difficult. Our goal was to determine the landscape-scale environmental variables necessary to predict roost occupancy for both species.

Methods

Using MaxLike, a presence-only occupancy modeling approach, with known roost sites, we identified factors associated with roosting habitat. Spatially independent roost locations were particularly limited for northern long-eared bats resulting in differences in study areas and sample sizes between the two species.

Results

Occupancy of Indiana bat roosts was greatest in areas with >80 % local forest cover within broader landscapes (1 km) with <40 % forest, <1 km of perennial streams but >1 km from intermittent streams and in areas with poor foraging habitat. Northern long-eared roost occupancy was greatest in areas with >80 % regional but fragmented forest cover with greater forest edge approximately 4 km from the nearest major road.

Conclusions

Landscape features associated with roost occupancy differed greatly between species suggesting disparate roosting needs at the landscape scale, which may require independent management of roost habitat for each species.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Forestry. We would like to thank RA King and MG Hohmann for providing much of the roosting data used in this research. RK Swihart, G Shao, S Fei, DW Sparks, and LE D’Acunto provided valuable feedback on earlier drafts of this manuscript.

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  1. Benjamin P. Pauli

    Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, Boise State University, 2133 Cesar Chavez Ln., Boise, ID, 83725, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, 195 Marsteller St., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Benjamin P. Pauli & Patrick A. Zollner

  2. Department of Biology, Ball State University, Cooper Life Science Building, Muncie, IN, 47306, USA

    Holly A. Badin & Timothy C. Carter

  3. Division of Forestry, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 402 West Washington St., Indianapolis, IN, 46204, USA

    G. Scott Haulton

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  1. Benjamin P. Pauli
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Correspondence to Benjamin P. Pauli.

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Pauli, B.P., Badin, H.A., Haulton, G.S. et al. Landscape features associated with the roosting habitat of Indiana bats and northern long-eared bats. Landscape Ecol 30, 2015–2029 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0228-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-015-0228-y

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