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Using mounting, orientation, and design to improve bat box thermodynamics in a northern temperate environment.

ABSTRACT: Wildlife managers design artificial structures, such as bird houses and bat boxes, to provide alternative nesting and roosting sites that aid wildlife conservation. However, artificial structures for wildlife may not be equally efficient at all sites due to varying climate or habitat characteristics influencing thermal properties. For example, bat boxes are a popular measure employed to provide compensatory or supplementary roost sites for bats and educate the public. Yet, bat boxes are often thermally unstable or too cold to fulfill reproductive females needs in northern temperate environments. To help improve the thermodynamics of bat boxes, we tested the effect of (1) three mountings, (2) four orientations, and (3) twelve bat box designs on the internal temperature of bat boxes. We recorded temperatures in bat boxes across a climate gradient at seven sites in Quebec, Canada. Bat boxes mounted on buildings had warmer microclimates at night than those on poles and those facing east warmed sooner in the morning than those facing west or south. Our best new model based on passive solar architecture (Ncube PH1) increased the time in the optimal temperature range (22-40 °C) of targeted species by up to 13% compared to the most commonly used model (Classic 4-chamber) when mounted on a building with an east orientation (other designs presented in the Supplementary Information). Based on bioenergetic models, we estimated that bats saved up to 8% of their daily energy using the Ncube PH1 compared to the Classic 4-chamber when mounted on a building with an east orientation. We demonstrate that the use of energy-saving concepts from architecture can improve the thermal performance of bat boxes and potentially other wildlife structures as well.

SUBMITTER: Fontaine A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8032723 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:IntroductionEach clinical learning environment (CLE) requires learners to navigate a different set of complex interactions to engage in safe patient care while learning from real patients. Orientation forms the foundation for learning, yet CLE models in the literature are primarily written for an educator audience and practical advice for orienting learners to a new CLE is limited. To address this gap, we designed resources to support both supervisors and learners in the orientation process.Materials/methodsWe reviewed the CLE literature to select critical content for orientation and interviewed high performing residents to identify their best practices. We synthesized the literature and resident interviews into a visually appealing and easy to digest infographic designed to simultaneously remind teachers of the critical areas to cover in orientation and empower learners to ask about them. We integrated these principles into an online module for Graduate Medical Education onboarding and surveyed users about how well they could meet the module learning objectives.ResultsWe organized the literature review and resident advice regarding questions learners should ask about a new CLE into the typical question categories (why, who, what, when, where, and how) and described strategies for orientation to each category. Our infographic has been incorporated into CLE orientation for multiple types of learners at our institution. After completing the orientation module, 112/124(90%) residents indicated that they could, 'Orient yourself or a learner to a clinical learning environment using orientation questions' moderately to extremely well.DiscussionWe developed resources that can be used by educators to create orientation materials and by learners to ensure they understand important features, resources, and expectations in a new CLE. Because the foundational principles of CLE apply to a variety of clinical settings and learner types, the resources may be broadly applicable.

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Using mounting, orientation, and design to improve bat box thermodynamics in a northern temperate environment.

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