Differential selection of roosts by Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Myotis leibii) relative to rock structure and microclimate.

ABSTRACT: Roost selection by insectivorous bats in temperate regions is presumably influenced by roost microclimates in relation to thermoregulatory strategies, but few studies have included temperature measurements in habitat selection models. Rocky landscape features are an important source of roosts that provide both shelter from predators and beneficial microclimates for bats. Most information about rock-roosting bats has been derived from western North America. We studied microhabitat selection by the Eastern Small-footed Myotis (Myotis leibii) on natural talus slopes and human-made stone structures in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia and New Hampshire, relative to thermal and structural characteristics of rock crevices. Roosts were located with a combination of radiotelemetry and r

SUBMITTER: Moosman PR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10399919 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature