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ARS Home » Plains Area » Sidney, Montana » Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory » Pest Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419979
Research Project: Biological Control and Habitat Restoration for Invasive Weed Management

Location: Pest Management Research

Title: A paleoecological perspective to bat conservation: Revealing diet shift Myotine bats through guano

Author
item TSALICKIS, ALEXANDRA - Auburn University
item VACHULA, RICHARD - Auburn University
item Campbell, Joshua
item HOOD, WENDY - Auburn University
item WATERS, MATTHEW - Auburn University

Submitted to: Biological Conservation
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/17/2025
Publication Date: 5/21/2025
Citation: Tsalickis, A., Vachula, R.S., Campbell, J.W., Hood, W.R., Waters, M.N. 2025. A paleoecological perspective to bat conservation: Revealing diet shift Myotine bats through guano. Biological Conservation. 308:111263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111263.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111263

Interpretive Summary: Using paleoecological techniques to aid in bat conservation is a unique and novel conservation approach. Humans have greatly altered land-use over the last century and how bat insect prey was affected is poorly understood. We measured carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes from a 65 year old bat guano core collected from a Tennessee cave. Isotope values from the bat guano showed distinct shifts between predatory and herbivorous insect abundance and these changes are correlated with changes in agricultural land. This research provides an understanding of how future land-use may affect insectivorous bat diets and this knowledge can aid conservation efforts.

Technical Abstract: Understanding how land use change impacts bat diet is vital to bat conservation efforts. Little is known about trophic level shifts that may occur within bat diets because of variations in the extent of agriculture, grassland, or forestland. Here, we measured .13C and .15N stable isotopic compositions from a modern, post-bomb bat guano core over a 65-year period. Based on stratigraphic changes in isotopic values, we determined three distinct phases when bat diet shifted between predatory and herbivorous insect prey. After comparing the stable isotopic compositions to land use change data, we found that changes in the trophic level of bat diet are coeval with changes in agricultural land use. We attribute increased consumption of predatory insects to phases with increased C4 plants (i.e., crops such as maize). We suggest agriculture with increased crop diversity, having more C4 plant abundance, adds structural complexity to a landscape which provides greater food availability and refugia for a diversity of insects. From this study, we demonstrate that applying paleoecological methods can inform bat conservation efforts.