Date Approved

12-13-2008

Degree Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department or School

Biology

Committee Member

Allen Kurta, PhD, Chair

Committee Member

Catherine Bach, PhD

Committee Member

Jamin Eisenbach, PhD

Abstract

Only a single colony of evening bats (Nycticeius humeralis) is known to occur in Michigan, and it is the northernmost colony on the North American continent. In mid-May, only female evening bats migrate to Michigan to raise their pups, and in late August, evening bats migrate to southern portions of their range, where they are ubiquitous. I studied the roosting and dietary ecology of the evening bat in southeastern Michigan. Evening bats roosted in cavities, crevices, and under exfoliating bark of older trees located in a bottomland forest, interlaced with waterways and surrounded by agricultural fields. These habitats play an important role in the diet of evening bats. Fourteen orders of insects and two orders of arachnids were found in fecal pellets of evening bats; Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera composed 94% of dietary volume. Several insects consumed by evening bats are economically important.

Comments

Additional committee member: Cara Shillington, PhD

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