Monitoring Trends in Bat Populations of the United States and Territories: Problems and Prospects: U.S
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MonitoringMonitoringMonitoring TTTrends in Bat Populations of the United SSthe tates andandtates TTTerritories:erritories:erritories: Problems and Prospects Information and Technology Report USGS/BRD/ITR–2003-0003 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey To purchase this report, contact the National Technical Information Service, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161 (call toll free 1-800-553-6847), or the Defense Technical Information Center, 8725 Kingman Rd., Suite 0944, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6218. Cover photograph by Thomas J. O’Shea U.S. Geological Survey MonitoringMonitoringMonitoring TTTrends in Bat Populations of the United States andandtates TTTerritories:erritories:erritories: Problems and Prospects Information and Technology Report USGS/BRD/ITR–2003-0003 By T.J. O’Shea M.A. Bogan Editors U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Suggested citation: O’Shea, T.J. and Bogan, M.A., eds., 2003, Monitoring trends in bat populations of the United States and territories: problems and prospects: U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline, Information and Technology Report, USGS/BRD/ITR--2003–0003, 274 p. ii ContentsContentsContents Page Introduction (T.J. O’Shea and M.A. Bogan) ............................................................................................ 1 Bats of the United States and Territories .......................................................................................................................2 Problems and Prospects for Monitoring Trends in Bat Populations .............................................................................3 Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................................................................5 References Cited .............................................................................................................................................................5 Part I.I.Part Assessing Status andandtatus TTTrends in Populations of Bats: An Overview Censusing Bats: Challenges, Solutions, and Sampling Biases (T.H. Kunz) .................................. 9 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................9 Visual Counts of Roosting Bats ................................................................................................................................... 10 Evening Emergence Counts .......................................................................................................................................... 12 Evening Dispersal or “Flyout” Counts......................................................................................................................... 12 Disturbance Counts ...................................................................................................................................................... 13 Estimates Based on Mark-Recapture............................................................................................................................ 13 Challenges and Recent Advances in Censusing Bats ................................................................................................. 13 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................................ 17 References Cited ........................................................................................................................................................... 17 Estimates of Population Sizes in Summer Colonies of Brazilian Free-Tailed BatsBatsailed (((TTTadarida brasiliensis))) (G.F. McCracken) .......................................................................................... 21 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 21 Life-History Attributes ................................................................................................................................................. 22 Techniques Used for Assessing Abundance ............................................................................................................... 24 Counts at Exits ....................................................................................................................................................... 25 Combined Still and Motion Picture Photography ................................................................................................. 26 Extrapolation from Densities within Roosts .......................................................................................................... 26 Mark-Recapture ..................................................................................................................................................... 27 Indices of Abundance–Guano Deposition, and Bat Trapping ............................................................................. 27 Trends in Abundance ................................................................................................................................................... 27 Challenges and Prospects for the Future ..................................................................................................................... 28 Challenges and Prospects for Counting................................................................................................................ 28 Challenges and Prospects for Monitoring ............................................................................................................ 29 References Cited ........................................................................................................................................................... 29 Estimating Population Sizes of Hibernating Bats in Caves and Mines (M.D. Tuttle) ............... 31 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 31 Natural History of Bat Hibernation ............................................................................................................................... 32 Use of Hibernation Surveys in Status Monitoring ....................................................................................................... 33 Precautions for Underground Surveys ......................................................................................................................... 34 Procedures and Biases in Counting Hibernating Bats ................................................................................................. 34 Substrate Temperature........................................................................................................................................... 35 Cave and Mine Complexity .................................................................................................................................... 37 Sampling Consistency ........................................................................................................................................... 37 Management Applications of Population Estimates During Hibernation ............................................................. 38 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................................................. 38 References Cited ........................................................................................................................................................... 39 iii Contents (continued) Page PopulationPopulationPopulation TTTrends of Solitary Foliage-Roosting Bats (T.C. Carter, M.A. Menzel, and D.A. Saugey) ..................................................................................................................................... 41 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................. 42 Historical Information ................................................................................................................................................... 42 Habitat Analysis ........................................................................................................................................................... 43 Historical Changes ................................................................................................................................................ 43 Potential Population Responses ........................................................................................................................... 44 Health Department Submissions .................................................................................................................................. 45 Lasiurines and Fire ....................................................................................................................................................... 45 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................................................