Program Type
Honors
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Jorista Garrie
Document Type
Poster
Location
Face-to-face
Start Date
25-4-2023 1:30 PM
Abstract
Arkansas is home to sixteen bat species belonging to the Vespertilionidae and Molossidae families. Bats are keystone species and provide numerous ecosystem services that also benefit people. This study explores factors that impact species richness between the spring and fall seasons in a wooded rural site (Washburn Park) and an urban field site (Arkansas Tech University campus), Russellville, AR. The non-invasive Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro, from Wildlife Acoustics, was used to record calls and identify bat species from these locations. Nearly 1,050 calls were recorded from 11 different species across the spring and fall between both sites. Results showed that there was significantly greater species richness in the spring (10 species) compared to the fall (9 species). The ATU campus had 8 species in the spring and 7 in the fall, while Washburn had 10 species in the spring and 6 in the fall. No other variables examined were found to have significant impact on species richness. Although number of calls are not indicative of population size, we also wanted to see what impacted call numbers. There were significantly more calls detected during the spring compared to the fall and fewer calls detected at Washburn compared to the ATU campus. Lastly, there were significantly more calls detected during the waxing crescent moon phase compared to the waning crescent. While results show that bats utilized both sites throughout the seasons, the sheer number of calls detected at the ATU campus, compared to Washburn, could be indication of more suitable resources.
Recommended Citation
Sybrant, Lark E., "Acoustic Sampling of Arkansas Bat Species Richness Across Different Seasons and Habitats" (2023). ATU Research Symposium. 9.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_rs/2023/2023/9
Included in
Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Other Animal Sciences Commons, Zoology Commons
Acoustic Sampling of Arkansas Bat Species Richness Across Different Seasons and Habitats
Face-to-face
Arkansas is home to sixteen bat species belonging to the Vespertilionidae and Molossidae families. Bats are keystone species and provide numerous ecosystem services that also benefit people. This study explores factors that impact species richness between the spring and fall seasons in a wooded rural site (Washburn Park) and an urban field site (Arkansas Tech University campus), Russellville, AR. The non-invasive Echo Meter Touch 2 Pro, from Wildlife Acoustics, was used to record calls and identify bat species from these locations. Nearly 1,050 calls were recorded from 11 different species across the spring and fall between both sites. Results showed that there was significantly greater species richness in the spring (10 species) compared to the fall (9 species). The ATU campus had 8 species in the spring and 7 in the fall, while Washburn had 10 species in the spring and 6 in the fall. No other variables examined were found to have significant impact on species richness. Although number of calls are not indicative of population size, we also wanted to see what impacted call numbers. There were significantly more calls detected during the spring compared to the fall and fewer calls detected at Washburn compared to the ATU campus. Lastly, there were significantly more calls detected during the waxing crescent moon phase compared to the waning crescent. While results show that bats utilized both sites throughout the seasons, the sheer number of calls detected at the ATU campus, compared to Washburn, could be indication of more suitable resources.