myotis myotis) dispersal and conservation
TRANSCRIPT
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Greater Mouse-Eared Bat (Myotis myotis) Dispersal and
Conservation
K.C. Chaney
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Why Should We Care?
• Conservation success story, listed as “Vulnerable” in 1994
• Listed as “Least Concern” in 2008
• Conservation efforts
were successful, but
might need to be
reevaluated
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Distribution and Numbers
• Bats now number in hundreds of thousands, with 80,000 bats in 290 colonies in Bavaria alone (up from just 70 colonies in 1985)
• Black line is distribution for Myotis myotis
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Lifestyle
• Average lifespan of 10-13 years
• Feed on insects
• Prefer to hunt in forests with little ground cover, but will also use residential lawns and agricultural fields
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Mating
• Females and young live in nursery colonies, ranging from as few as ten bats to almost 1,000
• Males live in solitary roosts that the females visit, traveling upwards of 12km, in late autumn for mating
• Multiple matings, males mate with around 7 partners, females can mate with up to 19
• Females exhibit delayed fertilization, holding onto sperm until late winter/early spring
• Roost sites range from caves to attics
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Nursery Colonies in Bavaria
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Effects of Nursery Protection
• Total population below 4000 in 1993 • Peaked in 1997 over 8000 • At the end of data collection, total population numbered more than 6000.
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Change in Habitat
• Bats in nursery colonies huddle together for warmth
• Temperature is the biggest factor in offspring fitness
• Loss of forests has prompted movement towards smaller colonies in insulated areas such as attics
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Dispersal Rates
Dispersal model based on colony having 100 females (squares), 450 females (circles), and 1000 females (triangles)
• Females usually stay in the colony where they were born • Males disperse up to 200km
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Male Roosts and Breeding Sites
• Males will share roosts, but not at the same time
• Most roosts are empty for a majority of the time, even during breeding season
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Why Does This Matter?
• While large nursery colonies are easy to identify, breeding sites (which are often empty) and small nurseries are much harder to locate and protect
• Breeding sites and small nursery colonies in buildings are threatened by attic and roof repairs
• Simply protecting larger nursery colonies might not be enough to ensure protection of species in the future
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Summary
• Gene flow in Myotis myotis is mostly due to male dispersal
• Protecting large nursery colonies alone does not guarantee the protection of the species, but has been effective so far
• If you ever happen to live in Europe, roofing and attic repairs should be done outside of the mating season (August-October) to ensure bats don’t lose access to breeding and smaller nursery sites
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References
• Schneider, M., M. Hammer. 2006. “Monitoring the greater mouse-eared bat Myotis myotis on a landscape scale.” Monitoring Nature Conservation in Cultural Habitats 4; 231-246
• Arlettaz, R., M. Ruedi, C. Ibanez, J. Palmeirim, J. Hausser. 1997. “A new perspective on the zoogeography of the sibling mouse-eared bat species Myotis myotis and Myotis blythii: morphological, genetical, and ecological evidence.” Journal of Zoology 242; 45-62.
• Zahn, A., B. Dipple. 1997. “Male roosting habits and mating behavior of Myotis myotis.” Journal of Zoology 243; 659-674.
• Petri, B., S. Paabo, A. Von Haeseler, D. Tautz. 1997. “Paternity assessment and and population subdivision in a natural population of the larger mouse-eared bat Myotic myotis.” Molecular Ecology 6; 235-242.
• Castella, V., Ruedi, M. and Excoffier, L. (2001), “Contrasted patterns of mitochondrial and nuclear structure among nursery colonies of the bat Myotis myotis.” Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 14: 708–720
• Arlettaz, R., 1996. Feeding behavior and foraging strategies of free-living mouse-eared bats, Myotis myotis and Myotis blythii. Animal Behaviour 51; 1-11.
• Reproductive success, colony size, and roost temperature in attic dwelling bat Myotis myotis. Journal of Zoology 247; 275-280
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Questions?