Using PIT tags to infer bat reproductive status and parturition date: busy nights during lactation

Author:

Fontaine Amélie1ORCID,Simard Anouk2,Simard Valérie2,Broders Hugh G3,Elliott Kyle H1

Affiliation:

1. Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University , Montreal, QC H9X 3V9 , Canada

2. Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs , Quebec City, QC G1S 4X4 , Canada

3. Department of Biology, University of Waterloo , Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 , Canada

Abstract

Abstract Passive integrated transponders (PIT tags) can aid in the collection of important demographic data for species for which other methods, such as GPS technology, are not suitable. PIT tags can be particularly suitable to monitor small and cryptic species like bats and permit inference on their behavioral ecology. Literature for several species of bats states that females change their nightly activity patterns—going out and in of the roost only once per night during gestation compared to several times during lactation. Hence, we tested whether PIT tag detection patterns could be used to infer reproductive status and parturition date of female bats. From 2017 to 2021, we recorded detections of PIT-tagged little brown (Myotis lucifugus) and northern long-eared bats (M. septentrionalis) at the entrance of 2 maternity roosts in Québec and Newfoundland, Canada. We also used the maternity roost in Québec as a case study to further evaluate the potential of this method to link behavior and demography and investigated factors affecting parturition date. We were able to infer reproductive status for 63% to 97% of tagged individuals detected during both the gestation and the lactation periods, and parturition date for 61% to 95% of reproductive individuals, depending on the year and roost. Early spring arrival at the roost and warm spring mean temperature at night were associated with earlier parturition dates. Herein, we highlight that PIT tag systems may be useful to detect changes in activity patterns of female bats and infer individual reproductive parameters, which is on the long-term less stressful for bats and easier for researchers. We demonstrate that this approach is useful to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic factors of reproductive parameters, improving our understanding of bat population dynamics resulting in more informed population management decisions.

Funder

NSERC-CREATE

Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs

Liber Ero Conservation Allocation

MFFP

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada

Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture for the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)

Reference56 articles.

1. Bat reproduction declines when conditions mimic climate change projections for western North America;Adams,2010

2. Night roosting and the nocturnal time budget of the Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus: effects of reproductive status, prey density, and environmental conditions;Anthony,1981

3. Food availability dictates the timing of parturition in insectivorous mouse-eared bats;Arlettaz,2001

4. Marking and observational techniques;Barclay,1988

Cited by 2 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

同舟云学术

1.学者识别学者识别

2.学术分析学术分析

3.人才评估人才评估

"同舟云学术"是以全球学者为主线,采集、加工和组织学术论文而形成的新型学术文献查询和分析系统,可以对全球学者进行文献检索和人才价值评估。用户可以通过关注某些学科领域的顶尖人物而持续追踪该领域的学科进展和研究前沿。经过近期的数据扩容,当前同舟云学术共收录了国内外主流学术期刊6万余种,收集的期刊论文及会议论文总量共计约1.5亿篇,并以每天添加12000余篇中外论文的速度递增。我们也可以为用户提供个性化、定制化的学者数据。欢迎来电咨询!咨询电话:010-8811{复制后删除}0370

www.globalauthorid.com

TOP

Copyright © 2019-2024 北京同舟云网络信息技术有限公司
京公网安备11010802033243号  京ICP备18003416号-3