摘要
Information on the roost requirements of small, temperate-zone hibernating bats, which can spend up to 8 months in hibernation, is crucial to their conservation. We studied male big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in southeastern Alberta, Canada, to investigate the physical and microclimate characteristics of hibernacula used by this species in a prairie river valley (Dinosaur Provincial Park, DPP). We monitored roosting behavior and movement, and also compared microclimate conditions (temperature and humidity) within these crevice hibernacula to those of random crevices within the study area, and to conditions inside 4 known cave hibernacula in central and northern Canada. Our results show that male E. fuscus in DPP use rock-crevice hibernacula with less variable temperatures than ambient and random crevice temperatures, with evidence of winter roost fidelity within and between years. Bats used only 3 hibernacula and, although mid-winter flight is common in our study area, there was little movement by bats between hibernacula. Rock-crevice hibernacula were warmer and more thermally stable than other available crevices in DPP, and drier but not necessarily colder than known cave hibernacula elsewhere. Our study is the first to examine crevice roost selection by bats during winter, and suggests that specific hibernacula are important for individual bats, despite the fact that numerous crevices are available.
摘要译文
关于小温带冬季蝙蝠的栖息要求的信息，可在冬眠中花费长达8个月，对其保护至关重要。我们在加拿大阿尔伯塔省东南部研究了男性大棕色蝙蝠（Eptesicus fuscus）调查这一物种在草原河谷（恐龙省级民主党）使用的冬虫夏草的物理和微气候特征。我们监测了栖息地行为和运动，并比较了这些缝隙中的微气候条件（温度和湿度）与研究区内随机缝隙的相关性，并在加拿大中部和北部的4个已知的洞穴hibernacula内部进行条件。我们的结果显示，男性E.DPP中的fuscus使用岩石缝隙冬眠，温度低于周围环境和随机缝隙温度，具有冬季保鲜度和年份之间的证据。蝙蝠只使用3只冬眠草，虽然冬季飞行在我们的研究区域很常见，但冬眠之间的蝙蝠几乎没有运动。岩石裂缝hibernacula比DPP中的其他可能的裂缝更暖和更热稳定，并且干燥，但不一定比其他地方的已知洞穴hibernacula更冷。我们的研究是第一个在冬季检查蝙蝠的裂缝选择的建议，并建议特定的冬眠对于个体蝙蝠是重要的，尽管有许多缝隙可用。
B. J. Klüg-Baerwald[1];C. L. Lausen[2];C. K. R. Willis[3];R. M. Brigham[1]. Home is where you hang your bat: winter roost selection by prairie-living big brown bats[J]. Journal of Mammalogy, 2017,98(3): 752-760