Animal Sciences Commons^™

The Role Of Islands In The Migration Of Bats Across Lake Erie And Lake Ontario: Lasiurus Borealis, Lasiurus Cinereus And Perimyotis Subflavus, Toby J. Thorne

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Large bodies of water, such as the Great Lakes in North America, are potential barriers to migrating bats. Islands may be used as stopover sites by bats crossing the Great Lakes as stopover sites, or included in crossing routes to reduce the distance flown over open water. I predicted that stopover use by migrating bats would result in higher activity on Great Lakes islands during late-season migration than at mainland sites. I monitored acoustic activity at 11 sites across four locations in Ontario: Amherst and Pelee islands, Kingston and Pinery Provincial Park during the summer (June and July), and during …

Assessing And Analyzing Bat Activity With Acoustic Monitoring: Challenges And Interpretations, Amanda M. Adams

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Acoustic monitoring is a powerful technique for learning about the ecology of bats, but understanding sources of variation in the data collected is important for unbiased interpretation. The objectives of this dissertation were to investigate sources of variation in acoustic monitoring and make recommendations for acoustic survey design and analysis. I addressed this goal in three ways: i) variation resulting from differences in bat detectors, ii) methods for objective identification of peak activity, and iii) the use of stationary transects to address within-site spatial variation.

First, I compared variation of detection of echolocation calls among commonly available bat detectors and …

Stable Isotope Analyses Of Bat Fur: Applications For Investigating North American Bat Migration, Erin E. Fraser

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Many aspects of North American bat migration are not well documented. Stable isotope analyses of animal tissues can elucidate migratory origin, but this technique has not been widely applied to bats. This dissertation i) uses fur stable isotope analyses to investigate North American bat migration and ii) highlights some of the strengths and weaknesses of this analytical technique when applied to bat systems. I conducted stable hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen isotope analyses on fur from five bat species.

I documented δD_fur heterogeneity in summer resident populations of Myotis lucifugus, Lasiurus borealis, Lasiurus cinereus, and Lasionycteris noctivagans. Stable …