Month/Year of Graduation

5-2024

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Department

Biology

Abstract

Oak savanna habitat has been drastically reduced throughout the Midwest. Temperate bats generally are edge adapted and may better utilize a restored oak savanna habitat than the now common deciduous forests that replaced them. Therefore, we analyzed the activity of 7 bats native to eastern Nebraska and in the process, compared the agreement of two different programs that claim to automatically identify bat species. In order to investigate this, we placed three audio detectors within both habitats for 1 week and allowed them to record from sunset to sunrise. The data obtained was analyzed and compared between two programs, Kaleidoscope and SonoBat. We found high levels of agreement between the programs of 88% to 75% in the forest and savanna habitats, respectively. The total number of calls and foraging activity was greater in the oak savanna and supports the notion that edge-adapted bats prefer more open spaces for predation activities. This research brings a greater understanding of the effect of oak savanna restoration on bat activity and the different uses by bats of closely connected habitats.

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