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Working forests comprise a large proportion of forested landscapes in the southeastern United States and are important to the conservation of bats, which rely on forests for roosting and foraging. While relationships between bat ecology and forest management are well studied during summer, winter bat ecology remains understudied. Hence, we aimed to identify the diet composition of overwintering bats, compare the composition of prey consumed by bat species, and determine the potential role of forest bats as pest controllers in working forest landscapes of the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain. During January to March 2021–2022, we captured 264 bats of eight species. We used DNA metabarcoding to obtain diet composition from 126 individuals of seven bat species identifying 22 orders and 174 families of arthropod prey. Although Coleoptera, Diptera, and Lepidoptera were the most consumed orders, we found that bats had a generalist diet but with significant differences among some species. We also documented the consumption of multiple insect pests (e.g., Rhyacionia frustrana) and disease vectors (e.g., Culex spp). Our results provide important information regarding the winter diet of bats in the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain and their potential role in controlling economically relevant pest species and disease vectors.

Photoluminescence produced by excitation with ultraviolet light has been documented in an increasing number of nocturnal–crepuscular mammal species. Here, we provide a quantitative analysis to confirm visual observations of UV‐induced photoluminescence in six North American bat species. We used museum specimens to examine wavelength at peak photoluminescent emission, within and among species. We observed green photoluminescence on the wings, uropatagium, and hind limbs of all 60 museum specimens examined. Spectral scans revealed a consistent emission peak between 520 and 552 nm corresponding to the observed green color. We found no differences in wavelength between species or sexes. Wavelength was not related to specimen age, supporting the use of museum specimens for detection of photoluminescence. Our results suggest the potential for photoluminescence to be homologous in origin among the species we examined. We emphasize the need for further exploration into potential evolutionary and functional roles of photoluminescence across mammalian taxa. We provide a quantitative analysis to confirm visual observations of UV‐induced photoluminescence in six North American bat species. We observed green photoluminescence on the wings, uropatagium, and hind limbs of all 60 museum specimens examined. Our results suggest the potential for photoluminescence to be homologous in origin among the species we examined.

Ultraviolet (UV) induced photoluminescence is widespread in Mammalia; however, its function(s) remain unclear. Most of the research to date has focused on the surface expression of photoluminescence (e.g., pelage), described qualitatively. Here, we report a quantitative assessment of photoluminescence of white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus, herein deer) used for marking signposts. We analyzed 146 signposts, including 109 antler rubs on trees and 37 scent‐marking scrapes. We compared the spectra of signposts to the spectra of surrounding environmental features elicited by exposure to excitation lights peaking at 365 and 395 nm. Signposts showed significant contrast when compared to environmental backgrounds (p < 0.001), and the resulting photoluminescence would be visible to deer based on previously described deer visual capabilities. This research is the first quantitative description of the functional use of environmental photoluminescence by a mammal and gives new perspective about how white‐tailed deer perceive their environment and communicate. White‐tailed deer (Odocoileus verginianus) signposts exhibit photoluminescence under crepuscular conditions. The photoluminescence is visible to deer based on previously described deer visual physiology. Here we provide a quantitative description of signpost photoluminescence and discuss our findings relative to previously published criteria for the biological function of photoluminescence.

Forest regeneration following timber harvest is a principal source of habitat for early-successional birds and characterized by influxes of early-successional vegetation and residual downed woody material. Early-successional birds may use harvest residues for communication, cover, foraging, and nesting. Yet, increased market viability of woody biomass as bioenergy feedstock may intensify harvest residue removal. Our objectives were to: 1) evaluate effects of varying intensities of woody biomass harvest on the early-successional bird community; and (2) document early-successional bird use of harvest residues in regenerating stands. We spot-mapped birds from 15 April- 15 July, 2012-2014, in six woody biomass removal treatments within regenerating stands in North Carolina (n = 4) and Georgia (n = 4), USA. Treatments included clearcut harvest followed by: (1) traditional woody biomass harvest with no specific retention target; (2) 15% retention with harvest residues dispersed; (3) 15% retention with harvest residues clustered; (4) 30% retention with harvest residues dispersed; (5) 30% retention with harvest residues clustered; and (6) no woody biomass harvest (i.e., reference site). We tested for treatment-level effects on breeding bird species diversity and richness, early-successional focal species territory density (combined and individual species), counts of breeding birds detected near, in, or on branches of harvest piles/windrows, counts of breeding bird behaviors, and vegetation composition and structure. Pooled across three breeding seasons, we delineated 536 and 654 territories and detected 2,489 and 4,204 birds in the North Carolina and Georgia treatments, respectively. Woody biomass harvest had limited or short-lived effects on the early-successional, breeding bird community. The successional trajectory of vegetation structure, rather than availability of harvest residues, primarily drove avian use of regenerating stands. However, many breeding bird species used downed wood in addition to vegetation, indicating that harvest residues initially may provide food and cover resources for early-successional birds in regenerating stands prior to vegetation regrowth.

The tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), once common in the eastern United States, has experienced significant mortality due to white‐nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that primarily affects bats hibernating in caves and mines. In coastal regions of the southeastern United States, where caves and mines are scarce, tricolored bats often use roadway culverts as hibernacula. However, WNS infection dynamics in culverts are poorly understood. Previous research indicated that bats with higher body mass at the onset of hibernation have a higher probability of surviving repeated arousal events from WNS. Therefore, we compared tricolored bat winter body mass between cave and culvert hibernacula and identified culvert characteristics influencing body mass during hibernation in Georgia, USA. From 2018 to 2022, we measured body mass of 754 individuals in early and late hibernation across 32 culverts (n = 497) and four caves (n = 257). Our study revealed a southward spread of the fungus over multiple years, with the first confirmed case of WNS in a Georgia culvert in 2022. Overall, tricolored bats in caves weighed more in early hibernation than those in culverts, but bats in culverts weighed more in late hibernation. Across all sites, female tricolored bats entering and leaving hibernation had greater mass than males but lost more mass during hibernation, possibly due to differences in torpor‐arousal patterns and WNS infection rates. Additionally, all bats lost more mass in longer culverts. Understanding culvert characteristics affecting bat body mass will inform management strategies to mitigate WNS effects. Identifying risk factors for specific tricolored bat hibernacula can guide managers on where to focus winter WNS monitoring efforts and potential treatments. We compared tricolored bat winter body mass between cave and culvert hibernacula and examined culvert characteristics that influence body mass during hibernation. Tricolored bats in caves weighed more in early hibernation than those in culverts, but bats in culverts weighed more in late hibernation. Across all sites, female tricolored bats entering and leaving hibernation had greater mass than males but lost more mass during hibernation. Understanding culvert characteristics affecting bat body mass will inform management strategies to mitigate white‐nose syndrome impacts.

The potential harm inflicted by forearm bands on bats has been debated for decades. To aid in decision‐making regarding bat marking, we conducted a comprehensive assessment of banding injuries using recapture data from a long‐term overwintering study in Georgia, USA, involving 776 banded tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) with 284 recaptures. Most recaptured bats showed no visible injuries (77.8%); however, 22.2% of bats presented varying degrees of band‐related injuries. Although <25% of tricolored bats exhibited banding‐related injuries, sublethal effects of injuries are unknown and could add additional stressors to bat populations already facing multiple threats, including mortality from white‐nose syndrome. Thus, we recommend that banding bats, especially species that have experienced white‐nose syndrome‐related population declines, be appropriately justified and their use carefully considered. Our study contributes valuable knowledge to aid in informed decision‐making on the use of capture‐mark‐recapture methods in the research and management of bat communities. In a long‐term study of overwintering tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) in Georgia, USA, 22.2% of recaptured bats exhibited band‐related injuries, whereas 77.8% showed none. Although most injuries appeared minor, potential sublethal effects remain unknown. Given the added risks from white‐nose syndrome, this study highlights the need for caution in using bands on vulnerable bat populations, emphasizing that capture‐mark‐recapture methods, though informative, should be carefully justified to support bat conservation and management decisions.

Animals living underground deal with multiple physiological challenges, such as hypoxia and hypercarbia, but may have reduced thermoregulation demands because of the more stable underground microclimate. Southeastern pocket gophers (Geomys pinetis Rafinesque) occur in the fire-adapted, open-pine forests of the southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain where prescribed fire is commonly used to manage understory vegetation. They are almost exclusively fossorial, and their tunnels provide ecological services, including shelter, for a suite of commensal vertebrates and invertebrates. To quantify potential thermoregulation benefits of southeastern pocket gopher tunnels, we compared temperatures in active tunnels (n = 31) to aboveground temperatures during winter (December 2018–February 2019), and to aboveground temperatures during prescribed fire events (n = 16) occurring in spring (March–May 2019). During winter, tunnels provided a more stable thermal environment (average range = 6.5 ± 0.8 C; mean ± se) relative to aboveground (average range = 24.8 ± 1.8 C) temperatures. Similarly, mean tunnel temperature range (2.05 ± 0.5 C) was significantly narrower than aboveground temperature range associated with fire events (497.0 ± 101.4 C). Clearly, tunnels provide a stable thermal environment for pocket gophers and commensals that use their tunnel systems.

Context Once common, the northern long-eared bat ( Myotis septentrionalis ) has experienced declines > 90% due to white-nose syndrome (WNS). This severe mortality has resulted in their listing under the Endangered Species Act and made them a conservation priority. However, their broad distribution, variability in habitat use, and population instability make developing range-wide conservation strategies difficult. To understand how conservation of M. septentrionalis may vary across its range, we examined shifts in M. septentrionalis site occupancy on the edge of their historic range following severe WNS mortality. Objectives Our goal was to determine how mortality from white-nose syndrome affects site occupancy of M. septentrionalis at the southern edge of their historic range. Understanding which areas will remain occupied during disease related mortality will help inform management during disease outbreaks. Methods We used 11 years (2007–2017) of mist-netting records to construct dynamic occupancy models of M. septentrionalis in northern Georgia, USA. Occupancy was updated annually, with the initial period defined as all years prior to the winter of 2012–2013, which corresponds to when white-nose syndrome entered the study area. We assessed occupancy using landscape metrics at the home range (65 ha) and landscape (491 ha) scales, year since WNS occurrence in the study area, distance to karst, and distance to nearest WNS positive county. We estimated probability of detection using Julian date and sampling effort. Results Initial site occupancy was positively associated with percent deciduous forest cover at the home range scale. As M. septentrionalis populations declined from WNS, a site becoming unoccupied was negatively correlated with mean contiguity of forest at the home range scale and largest patch of forest and mean elevation at the landscape scale. Site occupancy declined precipitously in the years following WNS, dropping from 70.75% (41.76–96.98% [95% CI]) occupancy pre-WNS to 0.3% (0.3–20.5% [95% CI]) by the final year of the study. Conclusions Our results demonstrated that sites occupied by M. septentrionalis closer to the historic range edge were more vulnerable to becoming unoccupied after disease arrival. We recommend managers on the periphery of the historic range focus conservation efforts on high elevation forested areas nearer to the range core.

Shrew abundance has been linked to the presence of coarse woody debris (CWD), especially downed logs, in many regions in the United States. We investigated the importance of CWD to shrew communities in managed upland pine stands in the southeastern United States Coastal Plain. Using a randomized complete block design, 1 of the following treatments was assigned to twelve 9.3-ha plots: removal (n  =  3; all downed CWD ≥10 cm in diameter and ≥60 cm long removed), downed (n  =  3; 5-fold increase in volume of downed CWD), snag (n  =  3; 10-fold increase in volume of standing dead CWD), and control (n  =  3; unmanipulated). Shrews (Blarina carolinensis, Sorex longirostris, and Cryptotis parva) were captured over 7 seasons from January 2007 to August 2008 using drift-fence pitfall trapping arrays within treatment plots. Topographic variables were measured and included as treatment covariates. More captures of B. carolinensis were made in the downed treatment compared to removal, and captures of S. longirostris were greater in downed and snag compared to removal. Captures of C. parva did not differ among treatments. Captures of S. longirostris were positively correlated with slope. Our results suggest that abundance of 2 of the 3 common shrew species of the southeastern Coastal Plain examined in our study is influenced by the presence of CWD.