Life Sciences Commons^™

Habitat Use By Bats On The Upper Coastal Plain Of Virginia, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell

Virginia Journal of Science

We monitored bat activity on the upper Coastal Plain of Virginia using mist nets and acoustic detection (ANABAT) during April-October 2000 and April-August 2001. We classified forty sites into three forest-cover classes (pine forest, mixed pine, and hardwood forest) and three landscape-feature classes (permanent water, riparian corridor, and upland). We captured 406 bats (8 species) in mist nets; red bats (Lasiurus borealis; n = 281), big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus; n = 47), and eastern pipistrelles (Pipistrellus subflavus; n = 36) were the most commonly captured species. We captured fewer than 30 individuals of …

Population Dynamics Of The Cotton Rat In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Heather Green Salamone

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstract

We used monthly live trapping for 2.5 years to evaluate the life-history features of the most common small mammal, Sigmodon hispidus (hispid cotton rat), in an old field at its northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic coast. Peak densities, achieved in late autumn or early winter, were among the highest recorded for the species and were more typical of marginal populations rather than of central ones. Unlike some other marginal populations, hispid cotton rats in eastern Virginia did not lose significant body mass over the winter (when few juveniles were present) and survival in winter was not significantly …

Public Geospatial Datasets As An Approach To Maximizing Efficiency In The Collection Of Site Covariates In Wildlife–Vehicle Collision Studies, James A. Vance, Walter H. Smith, Gabrielle L. Smith

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife–vehicle collisions (WVCs) are a major research focus because of increasing human health and safety concerns and the potential for biological impacts on wildlife. A key component of both understanding the causes of WVCs and designing mitigation measures is the collection and analysis of environmental and roadway data at WVC sites. However, collecting these site data can be logistically challenging and potentially dangerous to researchers. We studied the feasibility and accuracy of using public geospatial datasets, particularly Google Earth and Street View, as an alternative approach to assessing WVC onsite covariates. We randomly selected 50 sites from a larger WVC …