Distribution of bats in Southeast Alaska and selection of day-roosts in trees by Keen’s myotis on Prince of Wales Island, Southeast Alaska

We conducted capture and acoustic surveys for bats in six areas along a latitudinal gradient in Southeast Alaska from mid-May to September in 2005 and we continued surveys on Prince of Wales Island from mid-May to September in 2006. We determined the level of effort required to catch each species an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Boland, Julia L.
Other Authors: Hayes, John P., Hibbs, David E., Smith, Winston P., Huso, Manuela M., Forest Science, Oregon State University. Graduate School
Format: Master Thesis
Language:English
unknown
Published: Oregon State University
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/mc87ps991
Description
Summary:We conducted capture and acoustic surveys for bats in six areas along a latitudinal gradient in Southeast Alaska from mid-May to September in 2005 and we continued surveys on Prince of Wales Island from mid-May to September in 2006. We determined the level of effort required to catch each species and documented ranges in morphology and periods of reproduction. We captured little brown myotis, Myotis lucifugus; California myotis, M. californicus; long-legged myotis, M. volans; and Keen’s myotis, M. keenii, and we acoustically detected and sighted the silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans. Capture success varied by species, year, and type of capture site. Our surveys support prior research suggesting that the little brown myotis is the most abundant species in the region, although densities appear to be low relative to other parts of its range. California myotis and Keen’s myotis were captured as far north as Juneau. The long-legged myotis was captured on Wrangell and Prince of Wales Islands and the silver-haired bat was detected on Prince of Wales Island. Prince of Wales Island is the southernmost area we sampled and was the only area where all species were detected. Given low rates of detection, all species appear to occur in low densities in Southeast Alaska. Better understanding of population status and trends and examination of habitat ecology and response to forest management in the region is needed to prioritize conservation strategies. The Keen’s myotis is rare and has one of the most limited distributions of any bat species in North America. Understanding gender-specific roosting ecologies of bats at relevant spatial scales is necessary to effectively evaluate the impact of habitat alteration and prioritize conservation efforts for bats in temperate forests. We examined selection of day-roosts in trees by Keen’s myotis from mid-May to September, 2006 on Prince of Wales Island, Southeast Alaska. Our objectives were to 1) examine relationships between and determine relative importance of habitat ...