Thermal dynamics of bat and insect activity in riparian and woodland habitats

Abstract

Small endothermic mammals have high mass-specific resting energy requirements, making their behavioural and metabolic adaptions to variation in thermal conditions and prey availability critical for survival. My project focuses on the relationships between daily and seasonal variation in thermal conditions and the activity and thermoregulatory energetics of small insectivorous bats and their prey. My findings highlight the sensitivity of bats and insects to environmental factors and the moderating effects of riparian habitats on nightly thermal conditions. My results also indicate the necessity of long-term sampling for monitoring bat populations because there is strong within site variation in activity levels depending on thermal conditions and season. The new information on torpor use by M. macropus changes the perception that torpor is only used extensively during winter in cold climates. Torpor apparently plays a large role in balancing the tight energy budget of small insectivorous bats even in mild climates. My findings contribute to ecology by providing new insight on the drivers of bat and insect activity and the thermal dynamics of a predator-prey system in different environmental conditions.

Date of Award	2019
Original language	English