BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 17 December 2024 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
How to translate text using browser tools
8 December 2020 Changes in Population Size and Clustering Behavior of Hibernating Bats in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan After Arrival of White-Nose Syndrome
Allen Kurta, Steven M. Smith
Author Affiliations +
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.

Allen Kurta and Steven M. Smith "Changes in Population Size and Clustering Behavior of Hibernating Bats in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan After Arrival of White-Nose Syndrome," Northeastern Naturalist 27(4), 763-772, (8 December 2020). https://doi.org/10.1656/045.027.0415
Published: 8 December 2020
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top