Date of Graduation

Summer 2015

Degree

Master of Natural and Applied Science in Biology

Department

Biology

Committee Chair

Thomas Tomasi

Abstract

The Ozark big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) is an endangered subspecies of the Townsend big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii). Human disturbance along with other factors resulted in population declines of the Ozark big-eared bat that were significant enough for the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (US FWS) to list the species as endangered in 1979. The US FWS recovery goal for the Ozark big-eared bat was an increasing or stable population over a 10 year period. To evaluate the progress towards this goal, I performed a population trend analysis over the last 10, 20, and 33 year periods. The total Oklahoma OBEB maternity population trend analysis did not show a trend but indicated a stable population for all three time periods. In addition I helped develop and test a new method for counting Ozark big-eared bats at maternity sites in Oklahoma using night vision video cameras and infrared lights as a viable alternative to current Ozark big-eared bat census techniques. The video method helps minimize human disturbance at the cave and allows people with very little experience to perform a reliable maternity count.

Keywords

ozark big-eared bat, maternity colony, Oklahoma, Mann-Kendal, infrared, Corynorhinus townsendii ingens

Subject Categories

Biology

Copyright

© Brian Charles Fuller

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