Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood Forest
Conservation of summer maternity roosts is considered critical for bat management in North America, yet many aspects of the physical and environmental factors that drive roost selection are poorly understood. We tracked 58 female northern bats (Myotis septentrionalis) to 105 roost trees of 21 specie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2012-01-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Forestry Research |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/148106 |
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| author | Alexander Silvis W. Mark Ford Eric R. Britzke Nathan R. Beane Joshua B. Johnson |
| author_facet | Alexander Silvis W. Mark Ford Eric R. Britzke Nathan R. Beane Joshua B. Johnson |
| author_sort | Alexander Silvis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conservation of summer maternity roosts is considered critical for bat management in North America, yet many aspects of the physical and environmental factors that drive roost selection are poorly understood. We tracked 58 female northern bats (Myotis septentrionalis) to 105 roost trees of 21 species on the Fort Knox military reservation in north-central Kentucky during the summer of 2011. Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) was used as a day roost more than expected based on forest stand-level availability and accounted for 48.6% of all observed day roosts. Using logistic regression and an information theoretic approach, we were unable to reliably differentiate between sassafras and other roost species or between day roosts used during different maternity periods using models representative of individual tree metrics, site metrics, topographic location, or combinations of these factors. For northern bats, we suggest that day-roost selection is not a function of differences between individual tree species per se, but rather of forest successional patterns, stand and tree structure. Present successional trajectories may not provide this particular selected structure again without management intervention, thereby suggesting that resource managers take a relatively long retrospective view to manage current and future forest conditions for bats. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5453aa89c563464e90bfb60e20328cca |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1687-9368 1687-9376 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2012-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Forestry Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-5453aa89c563464e90bfb60e20328cca2025-08-20T02:05:46ZengWileyInternational Journal of Forestry Research1687-93681687-93762012-01-01201210.1155/2012/148106148106Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood ForestAlexander Silvis0W. Mark Ford1Eric R. Britzke2Nathan R. Beane3Joshua B. Johnson4Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USADepartment of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USAEnvironmental Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180, USAEnvironmental Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 3909 Halls Ferry Road, Vicksburg, MS 39180, USAPennsylvania Game Commission, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110, USAConservation of summer maternity roosts is considered critical for bat management in North America, yet many aspects of the physical and environmental factors that drive roost selection are poorly understood. We tracked 58 female northern bats (Myotis septentrionalis) to 105 roost trees of 21 species on the Fort Knox military reservation in north-central Kentucky during the summer of 2011. Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) was used as a day roost more than expected based on forest stand-level availability and accounted for 48.6% of all observed day roosts. Using logistic regression and an information theoretic approach, we were unable to reliably differentiate between sassafras and other roost species or between day roosts used during different maternity periods using models representative of individual tree metrics, site metrics, topographic location, or combinations of these factors. For northern bats, we suggest that day-roost selection is not a function of differences between individual tree species per se, but rather of forest successional patterns, stand and tree structure. Present successional trajectories may not provide this particular selected structure again without management intervention, thereby suggesting that resource managers take a relatively long retrospective view to manage current and future forest conditions for bats.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/148106 |
| spellingShingle | Alexander Silvis W. Mark Ford Eric R. Britzke Nathan R. Beane Joshua B. Johnson Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood Forest International Journal of Forestry Research |
| title | Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood Forest |
| title_full | Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood Forest |
| title_fullStr | Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood Forest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood Forest |
| title_short | Forest Succession and Maternity Day Roost Selection by Myotis septentrionalis in a Mesophytic Hardwood Forest |
| title_sort | forest succession and maternity day roost selection by myotis septentrionalis in a mesophytic hardwood forest |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/148106 |
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