Stressors/Threats

Relevance to Species

HABITAT LOSS

breeding

unknown

dispersal

unknown

foraging

size of foraging area is unknown, but will forage over large distances; thought to prefer "edges" of habitat

wintering

winter roosts are generally caves or mines, threatened by closure

migratory stops

roosts are necessary for migrants

diurnal preferences - day, temporary

unknown and unlikely

diurnal preferences - day, long-term

caves and mines are extremely important

diurnal preferences - night

needed, includes bridges, buildings, drainage culverts?, and other unknown

fire threat

probably minor

HABITAT ALTERATION

prey

moths, 3-10 mm, Noctuidae; but includes other insects; loss of prey= loss of bats

nest sites

maternity roosts critically important

vegetation composition/density

important as source of prey; protect riparian and other edges

habitat conversion

unknown

escape cover

unknown

fragmentation

potentially does not matter, it lives in a fragmented landscape

invasive plant species

unknown, probably affects prey base

invasive animal species

unknown

habitat rehabilitaion potential

limited for roosts; conditions needed are generally unknown; gating roosts could be beneficial

HABITAT ALTERATION continued

contaminants

unknown; there is some indication that bats can acquire toxic materials in roosts, and considerable evidence that some species can acquire toxic doses of insecticides by consuming contaminated prey

nutrient enrichment

water accessibility

drinks from and forages over water; very small water sources are used, large water bodies have not been surveyed; could benefit by vegetation around water

drought

flood

groundwater depletion

root zone water loss

artificial water sources

drinks from and forages over water; very small water sources are used, large water bodies have not been surveyed; could benefit by vegetation around water

infiltration

runoff

edge effects

prefers foraging along edges

fire threat

may affect prey

water quality - turbidity

broadly tolerant of water quality

water quality - salinity

water quality - conductivity

water quality - dissolved oxygen

water quality - effluent

sheetflow disruption

flow rate

may prefer still or slow moving water

land use history

roads - dust

roads - erosion

roads - surface water diversion/ponding

may be beneficial

roads - asphalt/contaminants

unknown

SPECIES CHARACTERISTICS

dispersal mechanism

behavior traits

sensitive to disturbance at roosts

habitat rehabilitation potential

potential to increase prey base; could benefit by gating mines and caves; experiment with creating habitat?

colonization potential

effective population size

total population size

fecundity

1 young per year, fecundity is low as with most bats

knowledge/data on species

seasonal specialization

captive breeding/translocation potential

no success with moving from roosts

genetic isolation

inbreeding

very low variability suggests inbreeding or small gene pool

diurnal specialization

off-site mortality - migratory

no information is available

off-site mortality - from surrounding land uses

could be driven from areas by renewed mining, urban expansion, human disturbance

breadth of resource use

sensitivity to disturbance

highly sensitive; outreach to recreational cavers and mine explorers is needed

adaptability

not very adaptable to some changes, especially loss of roosts

charisma

mixed bag: bats have had a major change in public image in past two decades but some people still fear or hate; need to emphasize that they eat pest insects

INTERSPECIFIC FACTORS

predation

limited knowledge; may be subject to predation by cats but this is not likely

disease

rabies may affect; others unknown

pollinators/seed dispersers

competition

unknown; has been found in roosts with other species

INTERSPECIFIC FACTORS continued

brood parasitism

domestic/feral animals

may be preyed on by cats, but this is not likely

invasive species

ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS

edge effect

edges are preferred foraging sites

disease

fire threat

off-road vehicles - dust

ORVs may be a problem because they get people to roost sites and result in disturbance

off-road vehicles - erosion

off-road vehicles - noise

mining

renewed mining in areas with old mines may result in disturbance or loss of roosts

passive recreation

disturbance of roosts; should route trails to avoid roosts

grazing - vegetation impacts

may affect prey base

grazing - soil impacts

collection/hunting

not thought to be a problem

herbicides

not thought to be a problem, except as they may affect prey base

insecticides

impacts have been reduced over time, but still may be a problem

pesticides - impacts to species

impacts have been reduced over time, but still may be a problem

pesticides - impacts to prey

this could be significant

direct take/mortality

little effect except from mine hazard abatement practices, which could be serious impacts; road paving and de-icing may affect

noise

unknown

light

bright lights near roosts may affect

movement

ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS continued

landscaping

native plants could provide beneficial opportunities for habitat improvement

invasives

domestic/feral animals

dumping

may affect if in roost sites

undocumented immigrants

may affect when they use caves and mines for shelter or dumping grounds

increased road density

may be a problem, low-flying bats could get hit by cars while foraging along road edges

road kill

may be a problem, low-flying bats could get hit by cars while foraging along road edges

electrocution on powerlines/towers

CONNECTIVITY

fragmentation

barriers

large cities with abundant lights could be barriers

traffic volumes

increased volume could lead to increased road kill

wash incision

could create roost sites but could also take some away

corridor width

buffers along washes would be good but width unknown

habitat patchiness

depend on what is around them; patchiness could be good because it could increase insect diversity

riparian/upland connection

bridges could be improved as bat roosts

road crossings

could be opportunity for foraging or hazard due to roadkill

road width

vegetation next to roads

could be opportunity or hazard; recommend not planting edges along larger and faster roads, allow space between trees and roads

Stressors/Threats

Relevance to Species

HABITAT LOSS

foraging

size of foraging area is unknown, but will forage over large distances; thought to prefer "edges" of habitat

wintering

winter roosts are generally caves or mines, threatened by closure

migratory stops

roosts are necessary for migrants

diurnal preferences - day, temporary

unknown and unlikely

diurnal preferences - day, long-term

caves and mines are extremely important

diurnal preferences - night

needed, includes bridges, buildings, drainage culverts?, and other unknown

fire threat

probably minor

HABITAT ALTERATION

prey

moths, 3-10 mm, Noctuidae; but includes other insects; loss of prey= loss of bats

nest sites

maternity roosts critically important

vegetation composition/density

important as source of prey; protect riparian and other edges

fragmentation

potentially does not matter, it lives in a fragmented landscape

invasive plant species

unknown, probably affects prey base

habitat rehabilitaion potential

limited for roosts; conditions needed are generally unknown; gating roosts could be beneficial

contaminents

unknown; there is some indication that bats can acquire toxic materials in roosts, and considerable evidence that some species can acquire toxic doses of insecticides by consuming contaminated prey

water accessibility

drinks from and forages over water; very small water sources are used, large water bodies have not been surveyed; could benefit by vegetation around water

artifical water sources

drinks from and forages over water; very small water sources are used, large water bodies have not been surveyed; could benefit by vegetation around water

edge effects

prefers foraging along edges

fire threat

may affect prey

water quality - turbidity

broadly tolerant of water quality

flow rate

may prefer still or slow moving water

roads - surface water diversion/ponding

may be beneficial

SPECIES CHARACTERISTICS

behavior traits

sensitive to disturbance at roosts

habitat rehabiitation potential

potential to increase prey base; could benefit by gating mines and caves; experiment with creating habitat?

fecundity

1 young per year, fecundity is low as with most bats

captive breeding/translocation potential

no success with moving from roosts

inbreeding

very low variability suggests inbreeding or small gene pool

off-site mortality - from surrounding land uses

could be driven from areas by renewed mining, urban expansion, human disturbance

sensitivity to disturbance

highly sensitive; outreach to recreational cavers and mine explorers is needed

adaptibility

not very adaptable to some changes, especially loss of roosts

charisma

mixed bag: bats have had a major change in public image in past two decades but some people still fear or hate; need to empasize that they eat pest insects

INTERSPECIFIC FACTORS

predation

limited knowledge; may be subject to predation by cats but this is not likely

disease

rabies may affect; others unknown

competition

unknown; has been found in roosts with other species

domestic/feral animals

may be preyed on by cats, but this is not likely

ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS

edge effect

edges are prefered foraging sites

off-road vehicles - dust

ORVs may be a problem because they get people to roost sites and result in disturbance

mining

renewed mining in areas with old mines may result in disturbance or loss of roosts

passive recreation

disturbance of roosts; should route trails to avoid roosts

grazing - vegetation impacts

may affect prey base

collection/hunting

not thought to be a problem

herbicides

not thought to be a problem, except as they may affect prey base

insecticides

impacts have been reduced over time, but still may be a problem

pesticides - impacts to species

impacts have been reduced over time, but still may be a problem

pesticides - impacts to prey

this could be significant

direct take/mortality

little effect except from mine hazard abatement practices, which could be serious impacts; road paving and de-icing may affect

light

bright lights near roosts may affect

landscaping

native plants could provide beneficial opportunities for habitat improvement

dumping

may affect if in roost sites

undocumented immigrants

may affect when they use caves and mines for shelter or dumping grounds

increased road density

may be a problem, low-flying bats could get hit by cars while foraging along road edges

road kill

may be a problem, low-flying bats could get hit by cars while foraging along road edges

CONNECTIVITY

barriers

large cities with abundant lights could be barriers

traffic volumes

increased volume could lead to increased road kill

wash incision

could create roost sites but could also take some away

corridor width

buffers along washes would be good but width unknown

habitat patchiness

depend on what is around them; patchiness could be good because it could increase insect diversity

riparian/upland connection

bridges could be improved as bat roosts

road crossings

could be opportunity for foraging or hazard due to roadkill

vegetation next to roads

could be opportunity or hazard; recommend not planting edges along larger and faster roads, allow space between trees and roads