| dc.description.abstract | Although wind energy facilities are a growing source of renewable, clean energy, they have been shown to contribute to increasing bat mortalities which could threaten the persistence of bat populations. This study aims to expand what we know about the biology and behavior of bat species impacted by wind energy development. Recent research has indicated that yellow bats (Lasiurus spp.) are killed at wind energy facilities in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. We have limited understanding of the population biology or movement patterns in these species, so the extent to which wind turbine mortality may impact these bats is currently unknown. As part of ongoing research in our labs, I extracted DNA from 18 tissue samples collected from northern yellow bats (Lasiurus intermedius) at a wind energy facility in Willacy County, Texas in 2015. I amplified a region of the mtDNA, the COI locus, and compared genetic diversity of these samples to a larger data set from wind energy facilities in nearby Starr and Hidalgo Counties that were studied in 2016 and 2017. Both subspecies of northern yellow bats were detected in Willacy County, with estimates of genetic diversity being much higher than in the previous study with a larger sample size. Together, these datasets will improve our understanding of Lasiurus intermedius genetic diversity and population structure and have the potential to provide much needed insights into the impacts of wind energy development on bats in southern North America. | |
