The Ecology of the East-Coast Free-Tailed Bat (Mormopterus Norfolkensis)
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The ecology of the east-coast free-tailed bat (Mormopterus norfolkensis) in the Hunter region Anna McConville B.Env.Sc. This thesis has been submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with the School of Environmental and Life Sciences The University of Newcastle, Australia December 2013 i Statement of Originality I hereby certify that the work embodied in this thesis is the result of original research. The thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution and, to the best of my knowledge and belief, contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference has been made in the text or co-authorship statement. I give consent to the final version of my thesis being made available worldwide when deposited in the University’s Digital Repository, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Signed: …………………………………………… Date: …………………………… Anna McConville Signed: …………………………………………… Date: …………………………… Jenny Cameron Assistant Dean (Research Training) ii iii Statement of Collaboration and Co-authorship I, Anna McConville, am the primary author of six co-authored papers that form this thesis. I have been responsible for the development of ideas, research design, data collection, data analysis and the writing of these papers. My supervisors Dr Bradley Law and Professor Michael Mahony assisted in the development of ideas and research design for each chapter. Dr Trent Penman provided statistical advice for the data analysis of Chapter 2 (regional habitat models). Dr Leroy Gonsalves conducted the molecular analysis of faecal material for Chapter 7 (diet). Mark Thompson collected data and contributed to the research design for the bearing error test component of Chapter 6 (home range). All of the above co-authors assisted in the review of manuscript drafts. Additional contributors are acknowledged at the end of each manuscript. Signed: …………………………………… Anna McConville Date: ………………….. Endorsement by Co-authors Signed: …………………………………… Bradley Law Date: ……………..….… Signed: …………………………………… Michael Mahony Date: …………………… iv v Signed: …………………………………… Trent Penman Date: …………………… Signed: …………………………………… Leroy Gonsalves Date: …………………… Signed: …………………………………… Mark Thompson Date: …………………… Endorsement by the Assistant Dean (Research Training) Signed: …………………………………… Jenny Cameron Date: …………………… vi vii Acknowledgements This thesis is the culmination of a lot of hard work and not just by me. This thesis would not have been possible without the efforts of many other people who have generously assisted me along the way. Firstly, thank you to my supervisors, Brad Law and Michael Mahony for your ongoing support and guidance. A massive thank you to Brad for patiently answering my bat questions, for always being contactable (even in the middle of the night when I couldn’t identify Mormopterus), for loaning vast amounts of equipment, for swiftly providing detailed feedback on written work and for your ability to put things into perspective for me. I admire your professionalism and passion for science and I am very lucky to have benefited from your knowledge. Thank you to Mike for taking me on, despite the fact that I wanted to work on a rarely-captured and warm-blooded species. If only I had tagged along with more frog-catching trips to Kooragang Island, I may have found the mangrove bat utopia sooner and saved myself a lot of effort! Thanks for helping me navigate the endless university paperwork, for providing field equipment, for solving budget mix-ups and for being so supportive of my project. Thanks to Michael Pennay for suggesting that I work on Mormopterus norfolkensis. Brad did warn me about the difficulty of working on a rarely captured species, particularly, radio-tracking them. But once I get an idea into my head I can be pretty stubborn and it has been an exciting journey. I would like to thank the Forest Science Centre research team at the Department of Primary Industries. Sadly, now much reduced in number. Thanks to Mark Chidel, Traecey Brassil, Trent Penman, Frank Lemckert, Rod Kavanagh and Matthew Stanton. Thanks for being so welcoming, for loaning equipment, helping with spatial data and sharing of your extensive field research knowledge. Oh and for the cake! A special thank you to Mark viii Chidel for helping with various aspects of my project, sorting out bat detectors and telemetry gear, radio-tracking at Urbenville and processing bats at Kooragang Island. A big thank you to Trent Penman for introducing me to the wonderful world of statistical models, R and access databases. I am very grateful for the time that you spent patiently teaching me about mixed models, spatial autocorrelation, AIC and AUC values. I couldn’t have prepared my beautiful habitat models without you. Thanks also to Alison Towerton for assisting with radio-tracking at Urbenville. A very special shout-out to the other members of the ‘Law Lab’. While we don’t actually work in a common office or lab, it has still felt like a close-knit team. Thank you Caragh Threlfall for assisting with field work, methodological discussions, reviewing manuscripts and for being a great person and a fantastic scientist. Thank you Leroy Gonsalves for your amazing lab skills, for doing the molecular analysis of my bat poo, for assisting with radio- tracking and for reviewing a bunch of my manuscripts. You are one of the nicest and most modest people I have ever met! Thanks to more recent Law Lab member, Rachel Blakey, for your love of Murray-Darling bats and for conference fun. I will have to send a photo of your bat-themed corset to my fashionista sister. I’m sure it is worthy of a runway appearance at fashion week! A big thanks to the wonderful Lisa Cawthen for sharing the thesis write-up, for coming all of the way from Tasmania to help with radio-tracking (and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes), for bat-inspired Christmas carols to entertain other volunteers and for general good times! A big thank you to Adam Birnbaum. You should be awarded an honorary Doctorate for all of your bat volunteer work over the years. Adam assisted with almost every field trip and was present on the momentous occasion when I first captured M. norfolkensis in the mangroves. Thank you for your consistent good humour during tough conditions and for always being available. Finally, thanks to Suzie Lamb for sharing first conference presentation nerves with me and for your infectious passion for the environment. ix Thank you to The University of Newcastle frog lab for warmly welcoming me. In particular, the frog with bat wings picture was a nice touch to our post-grad office door. A big thank you to John Clulow for early advice, the always interesting corridor and tea-room discussions about all things science and for helping me find various items for field and lab work. Also, thanks for bringing Carmen McCartney and the kids out to Coolongolook to help me catch bats. Thanks to James Garnham, Evan Pickett, Jose Valdez and Carla Pollard for sharing an office with me and for putting up with the random outbursts of crazy- Anna. Thanks to Michelle Stockwell for helping with field work and being my go-to person during lab drop-ins over the years. Thank you to Rod Wattus for his help with radio- tracking, being able to help at short notice and for agreeing to do it all again for the bearing error test. Thanks also to Mel James for keeping my other volunteers awake during radio-tracking with your animated discussions. Thank you to Cassie Thomson for good company and amazing cakes in the final stages of my write-up! Thanks to Deb Bower for livening up some of my more tedious writing days with your infectious enthusiasm for everything. Thanks to the bat poo girls, Lisa Schroeter and Margarete Überfuhr for their ever-present smiles and for assisting with the microscope lab work. A big thanks to everyone else for being great: Ligia PizzattoDoPrado, Simon Clulow, Kaya Klop-Toker, David Wright, Loren Bainbridge, Hugh James and Stephen Mahony. A really, really big thank you goes out to all of my other volunteers. Four seasons of field work has left me with quite a big list. This project wouldn’t have been possible without your help and I wish I could repay you all with more than just words. I’m really sorry if I have forgotten a few names along the way. Thanks to Kaye Holdsworth at the start of my project, for helping with the tedious process of setting out anabats (but very rewarding data) for my landscape habitat work. The x second season in the Hunter Valley was a disappointing one, only capturing three M. norfolkensis, despite our best efforts. However, my volunteers were amazing. A massive thank you to Jordan Crabbe who braved her phobia of mosquito bites and vegetables to assist me for almost the entire time. Thanks also to Jaclyn Fowler, Tasman Willis, David Andrew, Greg Sheehan, Judith Hopper-Hallinan, Helen Smith, James Moss and Nick Wheen. Additionally, a special thanks to Joe Tonga who came all of the way from Perth. Thanks to Matthew Jones for assisting with field work in the Hunter Valley for a couple of nights. But in particular, for taking some amazing photographs of M. norfolkensis (one of which is on the cover of this thesis) and allowing me to use them in presentations and publications. The final two seasons of radio-tracking in the mangroves at Kooragang Island were exciting times. Thank you to all of the fantastic volunteers that assisted with the capture, stagwatching and nightly radio-tracking of bats over Hexham Swamp: Andrew Dawson, Margarita Goumas, Kristen Parmeter, Sam Vertucci, Katherine Grant, Lewis McPherson, Shaun Corry, Alex Picton, Peter Ridgeway, Rachel Roberts, Kate Wollenstein, Jodie Rutledge, Bryan Swan, Jo Erskine, Brooke Whalley, Belinda Crane, Toby Lambert, Sue Horrocks, Tallulah Cunningham, Rachel Roberts and Meegan Allan.