Date Available
4-26-2017
Year of Publication
2017
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Forest and Natural Resource Sciences (MSFNRS)
College
Agriculture, Food and Environment
Department/School/Program
Forestry
Advisor
Dr. Michael J. Lacki
Abstract
Fifty-nine female and six male little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) were radio-tagged during the summers of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 in Yellowstone National Park. The grand models for daily maximum skin temperature (F98,154 = 1.55, P = 0.007), daily minimum skin temperature (F98,154 = 1.33, P = 0.05), and daily variation in skin temperature (F98,154 = 1.56, P = 0.006) were significant across roost type and reproductive condition class for adult females. Roosts were classified into Types A (warmest roosts), B (roosts with largest daily temperature variance), and C (stable and cool roosts) depending on differences in mean maximum, minimum, and variance in temperatures per day (P < 0.001). A total of 347 torpor bouts were recorded from 38 females across the 2012 to 2015 summer seasons. Bats across different reproductive classes and roost types used torpor at different hours of the day. My research suggests that adult female little brown myotis at high elevations in the Park extensively use and rely on building structures for roosting sites during the reproductive season, whereas males used primarily natural roosts.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2017.114
Recommended Citation
Slusher, Alexandra C., "Altitude- and Sex-Specific Variation in Roosting Ecology and Thermoregulation of Myotis lucifugus in Yellowstone National Park" (2017). Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources. 34.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/forestry_etds/34
