| dc.description.abstract | Across North America, bats are being killed in large numbers at wind energy facilities and there is concern that this level of mortality threatens bat populations. Currently three species of migratory tree bats, including two Lasiurus species, comprise ~75% of all known fatalities; however, as wind energy development expands into new areas (e.g., the southwestern U.S.) there is the potential for new species to be impacted. Ongoing work in our labs has indicated that that our current understanding of the distribution of Lasiurus species across North America is limited, at best, and that more species are impacted by wind energy development than previously thought. Accurate knowledge about which species are being impacted where, and to what extent, will greatly improve the implementation of effective mitigation strategies. We obtained 19 bat fecal samples from wild-caught Lasiurus bats from a study being conducted at Texas State University to improve the species-specific effectiveness of an ultrasonic acoustic deterrent (UAD) at deterring bats from approaching operational wind turbines. Based on morphology, these wild-caught bats were identified as eastern red bats (L. borealis), but it is possible that some of the individuals were western red bats (L. blossevillii). I extracted DNA from the bat fecal samples and amplified the COI mitochondrial gene to determine the correct species identification for each sample. I obtained good sequence data from 13 of the samples, of which 12 were western red bats and one was a northern yellow bat. Not one of the samples was from an eastern red bat. Confirming species identification with DNA barcoding will be essential for these types of studies going forward. These data will improve the accuracy of the results from the flight cage study at Texas State University and will contribute to improving strategies to reduce bat fatalities at wind energy facilities. | |
