Meeting Abstract

P1.30  Friday, Jan. 4  MODELS FOR PREDICTING THE POPULATION DYNAMICS OF LASIURINE BAT SPECIES AND THEIR PREY IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA SPRINGTHORPE, S.K.; Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC sarah.springthorpe@salem.edu

In Western North Carolina, the 13 known species of bat are central not only to the health of the ecosystems, but also to the health of the agricultural industry. Because each species of bat in this area has its own insect prey preferences, they all contribute to the population control of insects, many of which are agricultural pests. With the confirmed spread of White Nose Syndrome (WNS) into North Carolina in 2010, there has been a decrease in the abundances of affected species, such as the six Myotis species and Perimyotis subflavus. These particular species of bats tend to be generalist predators that eat a variety of smaller, soft-bodied insects like flies (Diptera). Conversely, the unaffected Lasiurine species, which include Lasiurius borealis and L. cinereus, tend to be more specific in their prey preferences, specializing in larger moths (Lepidoptera) and beetles (Coleoptera). The limited overlap between the diets of the WNS-affected and -unaffected species indicates a need for models predicting ecological effects of losing the generalist predators affected by the fungus. Assuming that the population sizes of affected bat species are decreasing, I generated three models, each describing a possible corresponding pattern in the population dynamics of Lasiurus and prey insect species. In particular, these models serve as a basis for predicting effects of decreasing, increasing, or stable Lasiurus populations on abundances in insect prey. These models were evaluated for likelihood of occurrence based on reports of bat species abundances in Western North Carolina and estimates of the degree of overlap between their different diets. Additionally, the implications of these models for future agricultural pest control were considered.