Changes in Population Size and Clustering Behavior of Hibernating Bats in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan After Arrival of White-Nose Syndrome
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Publication Date
1-30-2015
Publication Title
Northeastern Naturalist
Volume Number
27
Issue Number
4
Abstract
We examined populations of bats hibernating in 50 abandoned mines in Michigan during the 3 years before and 4–6 years after arrival of the fungal disease white-nose syndrome. Overall size of the regional population fell by 89.9%. Myotis lucifugus (Little Brown Bat), which represented 90% of the pre-epidemic population, declined by 89.9%. Myotis septentrionalis (Northern Long-eared Bat) and Perimyotis subflavus (Tricolored Bat) decreased by 98.5% and 93.9%, respectively, and both species appear threatened with regional extinction. Eptesicus fuscus (Big Brown Bat), in contrast, increased by 11.7%. The disease also impacted social patterns, with the proportion of Little Brown Bats that were solitary during hibernation in 10 of the mines increasing from 23% to 46% after onset of the disease.
Keywords
Chiroptera, Hibernation, White-nose syndrome, Wildlife mortality, Mines and mineral resources
Document Type
Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1656/045.027.0415
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Kurta, Allen and Smith, Steven M., "Changes in Population Size and Clustering Behavior of Hibernating Bats in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan After Arrival of White-Nose Syndrome" (2015). KIP Articles. 8416.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/8416
