Title
Maternity colony social structure of myotis in British Columbia, Canada
Author(s)
Rensel, Leah J.; Hodges, Karen E.; Lausen, Cori L.
Published
2022
Publisher
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Abstract
Female myotis bats may select artificial structures, such as bat boxes and buildings, to form their maternity colonies, and may form preferential associations with other bats based on age or reproductive status. We studied two colonies of little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and Yuma bats (M. yumanesis) in artificial structures near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to assess changes in social organization based on reproductive period. During summer 2019, we used Passive Integrated Technology (PIT-tags and scanners) to track individuals’ daily roost selection and social organization, then used social network analysis to compare temporal networks representing critical reproductive periods. Yuma myotis and little brown myotis formed strong, close associations with other bats during pregnancy and lactation but colony organization fragmented during post-lactation as adult and juveniles began roosting independently. Bats segregated by species during post-lactation, whereas they had previously roosted with heterospecifics during pregnancy and lactation. Little brown myotis left the maternity site in August, while Yuma myotis persisted until September and mixed with conspecifics from nearby maternity colonies in a previously unoccupied roost. Our results show that myotis maternity colony organization is not static and reflects myriad temporal, reproductive, and species-specific influences.
Keywords
Bats; Social network analysis; Myotis; Maternity colonies; Artificial roosts

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PUB35841