Genetic diversity, population structure, and effective population size in two yellow bat species from south Texas

Abstract

There are increasing concerns regarding bat mortality at wind energy facilities, especially as installed capacity continues to grow. Wind energy development has expanded into south Texas, where bat species have not previously been exposed to wind turbines. Our study sought to characterize genetic diversity, population structure, and effective population size in Dasypterus ega and D. intermedius, two tree-roosting yellow bats native to this region and for which little is known about their population biology and seasonal movements. Using intrinsic DNA markers, we identified two additional bat species in our wind energy fatality dataset, as well as an overall female bias in mortality. Genetic diversity and effective population sizes were lower than what was found in previously studied migratory tree bat species. We found evidence of genetic differentiation between putative subspecies of D. intermedius, and recommend our data serve as a starting point for the long-term genetic monitoring of these species.