Dataset Information

Stable hydrogen isotopes record the summering grounds of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis).

ABSTRACT: Bats face numerous threats associated with global environmental change, including the rapid expansion of wind-energy facilities, emerging infectious disease, and habitat loss. An understanding of the movement and migration patterns of these highly dispersive animals would help reveal how spatially localized the impacts from these threats are likely to be on bat populations, thus aiding in their conservation. Stable hydrogen isotope ratios (? (2)H) can be used to infer regions where bats have foraged during the summer molt season, thus allowing an assessment of summering location and distance of movement of bats sampled during other times of year. However, a major impediment to the application of ? (2)H for inference of bat movements is that the relationship between ? (2)H of bat hair and precipitation tends to be species specific and is still unknown for some key species of conservation concern. We addressed this issue by using geo-referenced museum specimens to calibrate the relationship between ? (2)H of hair (? (2)Hhair) and long-term ? (2)H of growing-season precipitation (? (2)HGSprecip) at the site of collection for eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis), one of the main species of bats experiencing large numbers of fatalities at wind-energy facilities in North America. Based on comparison of ? (2)Hhair and ? (2)HGSprecip values for males we estimated a period of molt of June 14-August 7. Within this period, male and female red bats exhibited a significant positive relationship between ? (2)Hhair and ? (2)HGSprecip. These results establish the relationship between ? (2)Hhair and ? (2)HGSprecip for red bats, which is necessary for the use of ? (2)Hhair to infer the movement and migration patterns of this important species. These results provide a critical resource to conservation biologists working to assess the impacts of environmental change on bat populations.

SUBMITTER: Pylant CL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4203026 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Stable hydrogen isotopes record the summering grounds of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis).

Pylant Cortney L CL Nelson David M DM Keller Stephen R SR

PeerJ 20141016

Bats face numerous threats associated with global environmental change, including the rapid expansion of wind-energy facilities, emerging infectious disease, and habitat loss. An understanding of the movement and migration patterns of these highly dispersive animals would help reveal how spatially localized the impacts from these threats are likely to be on bat populations, thus aiding in their conservation. Stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δ (2)H) can be used to infer regions where bats have for ...[more]

PMID: 25337458

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Project description:Background:Long-distance migration has evolved multiple times in different animal taxa. For insect migrants, the complete annual migration cycle covering several thousand kilometres, may be performed by several generations, each migrating part of the distance and reproducing. Different life-cycle stages and preferred orientation may thus, be found along the migration route. For migrating red admirals (Vanessa atalanta) it has been questioned if they reproduce in the most northern part of the range. Here we present migration phenology data from a two-year time series of migrating red admirals captured at Rybachy, Kaliningrad, in the northern part of Europe investigating time for migration, life-history stage (migration, reproduction) as well as site of origin in individual butterflies. Methods:Red admirals were captured daily at a coastal site during spring, summer and autumn in 2004 and 2005. For the sampled individuals, reproductive status and fuel content were estimated by visual inspection, and hydrogen isotopes (? 2H) were analysed in wing samples. ? 2H values was compared with samples from two nearby reference sites in Estonia and Poland. Results:Analysis of hydrogen isotopes (? 2H) in red admiral wings showed that the spring cohort were of a southerly origin, while those caught in August or later in the autumn were from the local region or areas further to the north. All females caught during spring had developing eggs in their abdomen, but no eggs were found in late summer/autumn. There was a male-biased sex ratio during autumn and a difference in lipid content between years. When comparing the isotopic data with inland nearby locations, it was clear that the range of ? 2H values (-?181 to -?78) was wider at Rybachy as compared to the two reference sites in Estonia and Poland (-?174 to -?100). Conclusions:During spring, migratory female red admirals arrived from the south and were ready to reproduce, while the autumn passage mainly engaged local and more northern individuals carrying large fuel deposits in preparation for long-distance migration. The phenology data suggest that individuals select to migrate in favourable weather conditions and that numbers may differ between years. Future studies should focus on individual sampling at a wide range of sites to reveal differential migration strategies and timing of migration between sexes and populations of migrating butterflies.

Dataset Information

Stable hydrogen isotopes record the summering grounds of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis).

Publications

Stable hydrogen isotopes record the summering grounds of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis).

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