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image/svg+xml Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Closed Access logo, derived from PLoS Open Access logo. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closed_Access_logo_transparent.svg Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Forest Ecology and M...arrow_drop_down
image/svg+xml Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao Closed Access logo, derived from PLoS Open Access logo. This version with transparent background. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Closed_Access_logo_transparent.svg Jakob Voss, based on art designer at PLoS, modified by Wikipedia users Nina and Beao
Forest Ecology and Management
Article . 2019 . Peer-reviewed
License: Elsevier TDM
Data sources: Crossref
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Site occupancy of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in response to salvage logging in the boreal forest

Authors: Thomas S. Jung; Julie P. Thomas; Mary L. Reid; Robert M. R. Barclay;

Site occupancy of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in response to salvage logging in the boreal forest

Abstract

Abstract As a consequence of warmer winters, the frequency and severity of bark beetle infestations has increased in western North America, creating controversy over how to manage beetle-killed forests. Post-infestation salvage logging is increasingly used to reduce wildfire risk and recover the value of beetle-killed trees; however, the ecological consequences of this practice are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of post-infestation salvage logging in the boreal forest (Yukon, Canada) on habitat use by the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), a forest-dwelling species that is relatively tolerant of vegetative clutter and numerically dominant in boreal bat communities. We hypothesized that little brown bats would select closed-canopied sites, particularly at high latitudes where bats may be vulnerable to predators during midsummer when daylight is nearly continuous. Thus, we expected low occupancy rates in salvage-logged stands, particularly those with low tree retention. Because night length increases drastically after summer solstice, we also predicted that bat preference for closed canopies would decline by late summer. We monitored for bat presence with ultrasound detectors in 30 unlogged, beetle-affected stands and 60 small ( 40 m2/ha. Our results suggest that vegetative clutter was a primary constraint for little brown bats. The observed clutter avoidance in late summer may have been caused by the presence of newly volant juveniles, which are not yet proficient at flying in clutter. In addition, bats may have shifted their preference to open habitats during late summer when nights were longer and darker, and perceived predation risk was likely reduced. Our study suggests that small patches of salvage-logged boreal forest may improve foraging habitat for little brown bats through clutter reduction; however, we caution that interpretation of our results should be limited to the tree retention levels and scale of logging at our sites. Additionally, the potential importance of unlogged areas as roosting habitat requires consideration before prescriptions are made on the proportion of the landscape to be salvage-logged.

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    13
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Top 10%
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Top 10%
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citations
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
13
Top 10%
Average
Top 10%