Population Dynamics of the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus Fuscus) in Southwestern Ohio
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POPULATION DYNAMICS OF THE BIG BROWN BAT (EPTESICUS FUSCUS) IN SOUTHWESTERN OHIO RICHARD S. MILLS, GARY "V. BARRETT, AND MICHAEL P. FARRELL ABSTRACT.-Population dynamics of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) were studied for four years (1969-1972) in southwestern Ohio. Data were col· Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/56/3/591/848889 by guest on 01 October 2021 Jected from 10,761 banded bats located in 81 summer nursery colonies and five winter hibcrnacuJa. Of 4506 immature big brown bats captured during the study period, 2223 (49.3 percent) were females. Contrary to previous studies, adult females outnumbered males in three of five winter hibernacula. Tooth wear of known age hats predicted population age class structure, but was a poor indicator of a specific age of a given individual. Survivorship curves for female bats were constructed from the percentage of banded individuals which were recaptured in subsequent years within the nursel}' colonies. Annual female mortality rate values for two large bat populations were 68.1, 28.7, and 72.0 percent and 89.5, 30.0, and 42.9 percent, respectively. Big brown bats recaptured at distances greater than 8 kilometers (km) (5 miles, mi) from the home colony were found to move in a southerly direction. In two instances record natural movements of 250 km and 290 km (155 and 180 mi) were recorded for E. fusctts. Larger populations of Eptesicus were located in the unglaciated region of the study area. Efficiency of young production per adult female was found to decrease with a corresponding increase in nursery population size. Merits of this inverse correlation efficiency as a potential population regulatol}' mechanism are dis cussed. Several studies of the big browll bat (Eptesicus fuscus fuscus Beauvais) have been conducted; however, most of these have been limited either to a single season, a single colony or hibernacula, or to a restricted geographical area (for example, Phillips, 1966; Christian, 1956; Brenner, 1968; Davis et aI., 1968; Kunz, 1974). To date, the population ecology of this species remains poorly understood (Barbour and Davis, 1969), Eptesicus fuscus is relatively uncommon in southwestern Ohio, accounting for only 22 percent of all bats captured between 1969 and 1972 by mist netting over streams within the study area. Nevertheless, 10,761 big brown bats were banded and released by personnel of the Dayton Museum of Natural History in the four-year study. Data from winter studies of the big brown bat conducted from 1964 to 1973 by personnel of the Joseph Moore :Museum at Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana, were also used. It was the object of the present study to analyze the long-term population dynamics of the big brown bat under natural environmental conditions in southwestern Ohio. METHODS AXD MATERIALS Eighty-one summer nursel}' colonies and two winter hibernacula of big brown bats in southwestern Ohio were studied (Fig. 1). Three winter hibernacula in southern Indiana were also sampled during this period. Colonies were located by posting 591 592 JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY Vol. 56, No.3 I 1_ _ ______ , __ I IT-- I Hardin I : Auglaize 1 : Mercer I Marion . i __ J_____ I • I ---,~--'---, I r--------I 1<2 ~ " , I f-- Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/56/3/591/848889 by guest on 01 October 2021 ie I I I Logan I " : ir_J I I D .~-----·-~I Shelby I 81 I elaware " 13 ,I • J I Da rke I • 1_______ • ,I Union : i _L __ ---- O. 1:'• Ross Pike , ! Scioto Kentucky ............ __.. Maximum Wisconsin glacial stage advance FIG. I.-Map of study area in southwestern Ohio. Numbered black dots indicate the approximate locations of big brown bat nursery colonies. August 1975 MILLS ET AL.-BIG BROWN BAT IN OHIO 593 "bats wanted" signs, an extensive newspaper campaign, radio and television appeals to the public, and by communications with extennination agents, game wardens, and others. In most instances population estimates were made upon entrance to a nursery struc· ture by visual observation. Evening flight counts were used when it was considered undesirable to disturb the bats and to substantiate our visual observations. This method has been used successfully by many researchers as summarized by Humphrey (1971). Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/56/3/591/848889 by guest on 01 October 2021 Populations were sampled by hand with long forceps and nets. A bee smoker was sometimes used to drive bats out to where they could be captured. Mist nets were placed over streams and cave entrances to capture bats outside the colonies. Bats were aged, by examination of the cartilaginous areas of the finger joints (Barbour and Davis, 1969), sexed, reproductive condition determined, classified by tooth wear, banded with Fish and Wildlife Service bat bands and released near the site of capture. Nurseries were visited infrequently during the height of parturition in order to avoid disturbance to the population at this critical time. Relationships between population size and latitude, longitude, altitude, and distance of the nursery to water were evaluated by Pearson's simple correlation coefficients, while differences in population size between glaciated (Wisconsin stage advance) and unglaciated areas (Fig. 1) were tested by a Student's t-test. Tooth wear for 208 bats of known age was estimated to establish an age class tooth wear relationship. The upper canine teeth of known age bats were classified as follows; 0 to 10 percent worn; 11 to 25 percent worn; 26 to 50 percent worn; 51 to 75 percent worn; 76 to 100 percent worn. These classifications were easily used in the field and allowed the processing of large numbers of hats in a relatively short period of time. Survivorship curves for female big brown bats from two different colonies were plotted from cohort data based on the number of banded bats recaptured at the home colonies in years subsequent to banding. Most recaptures of banded bats away from the maternity colonies were made by citizens who reported the hand number to the Fish and Wildlife Service. The test statistic Z of the Rayleigh test and the test statistic U of the V test as described by Durand and Greenwood (1958) and Batschelet (1972) were used to test for a nonrandom distribution and for movement in a predicted direc tion, respectively, for those bats captured away from the maternity colonies. Although some bats were recaptured at distances less than 40 km (25 mi), 80 km (50 mi), or 120 km (75 mi) from the release point, it was assumed for analysis that bats would have continued on the same course and crossed the nearest radii at the angle from the release point at which they were recaptured. A "dummy variable" multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the predictive relationships among the ability of females to rear volant young successfully, nursery population size, and sample year. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Summer Nursery Colonies Eighty-one summer nurseries of the big brown bat were located in man-made structures such as attics of houses, barns, and churches in southwestern Ohio (see Fig. 1). Small nursery colonies « 100 individuals) were sometimes located in open barns, under signs and shutters, or under the eaves on the exterior of buildings. In one case, several females and their young took up temporalY residence in a hollow tree on the grounds of the Dayton Museum of Natural History, a five mile displacement from their nursery. This par ticular and unique residency has been previously summarized by Davis (1969). 594 JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY Vol. 56, No.3 Nursery colonies of the big brown bat were twice located in the same building with nurseries of the little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus (sites 13 and 57, Fig. 1). In one case the two species occupied roosts at opposite ends of a tobacco shed. In the other instance big brown bats moved into the attic of a church already colonized by 600 little brown bats. No big brown bats had been observed in the attic in 1969 or 1970. By July 1971, an estimated Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/56/3/591/848889 by guest on 01 October 2021 20 big brown bats occupied the attic. This colony increased to 50 individuals by August 1972. The number of little brown bats, meanwhile, decreased to approximately 150. The reason for this decline in population density of the little brown bat is unknown. However, because roost space was apparently abundant, differential resource utilization (for example, Kunz, 1974) may have influenced the decline in the little brown bat population density. Eighty-nine percent of the populations located were within 0.8 km (0.5 mi) of water. The greatest distance of any nursery to water was 1.8 km (1.1 mi). However, those populations located nearer water were not significantly larger than other populations (r = 0.01, P > 0.95). Also, no significant correlation was found between population size and latitude (r = -0.07, P > 0.53), longitude (r ~ -0.15, P > 0.13), and altitude (r ~ --0.07, P > 0.50). Significantly larger populations of big brown bats were found in the un glaciated portion (mean = 220, SD ± 201) of the smdy area than were found in the glaciated part (mean = 128, SD ± 129) of the Wisconsin stage advance (t == 2.78, df ~ 105, P':;; O,ol). Humphrey and Cope (1974) also reported greater numbers of Myotis IUcifugus from the unglaciated portion of Indiana. This difference may be attributed to (a) more hibemacula present in the hilly topography, (b) more nursery structures available in the form of vacant houses and farm buildings, or (c) less use of pesticides and, perhaps, a more abundant insect food source due to a difference in farming activities between the two areas.