Abstracts

Determination of bat species within interior forested areas using Anabat II systems and mist-netting

Brooke Slack

Abstract
Direct capture with mist nets and passive acoustical monitoring using ultrasonic detectors are methods which have been used to survey bat activity for decades. Recent research has compared these two methods in areas of high bat activity known as flight or foraging corridors. Although several bat surveys have incorporated direct and passive sampling in corridors, none have compared the two methods simultaneously in interior forested areas lacking a corridor. In these areas, mist nets are not effective and ultrasonic detection may provide a more accurate representation of species present. The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of both methods in sampling bat communities within interior forested areas. The study was located on the Daniel Boone National Forest, Laurel County, KY and consisted of six pre-selected study units. In each study unit, bat activity was simultaneously monitored using both methods from May through August 2006 for two consecutive nights per month. A total of 48 nights of sampling were completed for each method. Four species were acoustically detected: eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus), northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis), and big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Two species of bats were mist-netted: the northern long-eared bat and the big brown bat. At sites where bats were both detected and netted, the acoustical systems consistently detected more species than were captured by mist nets. These results are similar to previous studies which compared the two methods in corridors. The use of both methods is strongly recommended for determining presence of a bat species in future studies and surveys.

Natural History and the Naturalist – What Is The Future? Perspectives of a College President

President David J. Schmidly, Oklahoma State University

Abstract

This commentary originally was presented to recognize receipt of the Joseph Grinnell Award for Excellence in Education at the 85th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) in Arcata, California, in June 2004. Natural history is the multidisciplinary description of nature, and naturalists are those who study nature. In its own right, natural history is a relevant discipline, despite varying degrees of focus by professional biologists and academic institutions over the past 100 years, and it is a critical contemporary discipline relative to global crises in the conservation of biodiversity. Many scholars have written that natural history has fallen out of favor at American universities. I review this perspective within the context of 20th century developments in society and trends in American higher education.

My conclusion is that a narrowing of the context of natural history in the 20th century has diminished its
significance. However, there is compelling evidence that, if we broaden our approach and horizons, natural history scholarship can play a pivotal role in American science and education in the 21st century. Institutions of higher education that emphasize natural history in their curriculum will enhance not only their academic profile but also students’ appreciation of the importance of natural history throughout their lives.

Provisioning of Nestlings by Male and Female Loggerhead Shrikes in Central Kentucky

by: Lauren Lewis

Abstract:

Loggerhead shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) are among the few songbirds experiencing significant population declines throughout most of their range. A possible explanation for the decline in population size is the elimination of the species’ prey base. Although previous investigators have examined the hunting behavior of and prey selection by adult loggerhead shrikes, little is known about the provisioning behavior of adult shrikes and about the types of prey provided to nestlings. Analysis of these components will provide a basis for the comparison of stable and declining populations of loggerhead shrikes, which has implications for improved habitat and prey base management techniques.

My objective, therefore, was to examine the respective roles of male and female shrikes in provisioning nestlings and to quantify the diet of nestlings. Loggerhead Shrike nests were monitored at various locations in Madison County, Kentucky, during the 2004, 2005, and 2006 breeding seasons. At each nest, at least one adult was captured and banded with unique combinations of color bands to permit individual identification. Nests with young shrikes were videotaped almost daily for 2 – 4 hours. Subsequently, tapes were reviewed and, for each visit by an adult, I noted its sex and also noted the type, number, and size of prey delivered. I found that both vertebrate (11.7%) and invertebrate (30.6%) prey were delivered to nestlings (N = 1000). Visits by female loggerhead shrikes (48.11%) were slightly more numerous than those of males (45.64%) (N = 1010).

Northern Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen): Use of Three Habitat Types in Southeastern Kentucky

Clint Hayes

Abstract

Habitat use can be difficult to determine with cryptic species such as the northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen), and very little information exists about habitat use by reptiles in powerline right-of-ways (ROW). Given the vast number of these powerline ROW’s, more knowledge of how they affect snake ecology and their movement through these disturbed habitats is needed in order to determine whether these ROW’s are detrimental, or beneficial. The objective of this study was to determine which of three habitat types northern copperheads use the most; powerline right-of-way cut through a woodlot, an open field, or a forested area. The study was conducted on the Daniel Boone National Forest in McCreary and Whitley Counties in Southeastern Kentucky, from April through October 2006. Northern copperheads were captured and had their gender determined. Standard morphological measurements were taken and, snakes were marked for identification upon recapture, so that the total number captured in each area could be compared. Physical aspects of the study areas were also recorded, quantified, and compared to help better understand why the snakes might choose a particular area. More northern copperheads were captured in the ROW study area than in the open field or forested areas. With no recapture data, this is an indication that northern copperheads may be using the ROW as a corridor to move between the fragmented areas of the woodlot. With the large number of small mammal captures in the ROW areas, it seems that the snakes are using these areas for prey capture as well. This preliminary data suggests that the ROW’s are not detrimental to northern copperheads.