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Maternity colony social structure of myotis in British Columbia, Canada

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Abstract

Female myotis bats may select artificial structures, such as bat boxes and buildings, to form their maternity colonies, and may form preferential associations with other bats based on age or reproductive status. We studied two colonies of little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and Yuma bats (M. yumanesis) in artificial structures near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to assess changes in social organization based on reproductive period. During summer 2019, we used Passive Integrated Technology (PIT-tags and scanners) to track individuals’ daily roost selection and social organization, then used social network analysis to compare temporal networks representing critical reproductive periods. Yuma myotis and little brown myotis formed strong, close associations with other bats during pregnancy and lactation but colony organization fragmented during post-lactation as adult and juveniles began roosting independently. Bats segregated by species during post-lactation, whereas they had previously roosted with heterospecifics during pregnancy and lactation. Little brown myotis left the maternity site in August, while Yuma myotis persisted until September and mixed with conspecifics from nearby maternity colonies in a previously unoccupied roost. Our results show that myotis maternity colony organization is not static and reflects myriad temporal, reproductive, and species-specific influences.

Significance statement

Bats often form associations with other bats, thus driving colony organization and roost use. We studied the social structure of two maternity colonies in the lower mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The colonies contained little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and Yuma myotis (M. yumanensis), which roosted in buildings and bat boxes that enabled larger maternity colonies than may occur in wild habitats. We compared social networks of PIT-tagged adult female bats during critical reproductive periods to monitor how bat behavior changed. Bats formed strong associations with colony members during pregnancy and lactation with very little ingress or egress of individuals from the colony. During post-lactation, however, overall colony organization weakened as bats moved to other roosts and many new bats began roosting with the colony. Little brown myotis left maternity sites first while Yuma myotis mixed with other conspecifics from nearby maternity colonies. Thus, colony organization in little brown myotis and Yuma myotis is not static and bats observed during post-lactation are often not the same animals observed earlier in the summer. Additionally, post-lactation mixing between Yuma myotis from different colonies suggests that artificial roosts may provide valuable habitat after the young are volant. Our results show that social organization at maternity colonies is a dynamic reflection of reproductive and species-specific influences.

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Data availability

Original dataset included in submission Supplementary Material C.

Code availability

All statistical analysis was conducted in R, using packages described in this article.

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Acknowledgements

We thank biologists Aimee Mitchell and Chris Currie, technicians Nick Hindley and Suhani Srihari, and all our volunteers for their efforts in the field. We thank the staff at BC Hydro and Alice Lake Park for their help with site access and bat captures. We also thank the editors and reviewers—including Dr. Brock Fenton—for their time, effort, and helpful suggestions that greatly improved this manuscript.

Funding

Funding for this research was provided by MITACS, BC Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Fight WNS, US National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Forest Enhancement Society of British Columbia, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, and University of British Columbia Okanagan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of British Columbia Okanagan, 1177 Research Road, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada

    Leah J. Rensel & Karen E. Hodges

  2. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, P.O. Box 606, 202 B Ave, Kaslo, BC, V0G 1M0, Canada

    Cori L. Lausen

Authors
  1. Leah J. Rensel
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  2. Karen E. Hodges
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  3. Cori L. Lausen
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Contributions

LJR collected the data, performed the statistical analysis, and wrote the manuscript, under the direction and supervision of KEH and CLL. Funding and permits were secured by KEH and CLL. All authors contributed to the final draft.

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Correspondence to Leah J. Rensel.

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Ethics approval

All bat capture, handling, and radiotracking followed ASM guidelines for the use of wild animals in research. We conformed to the standards of the Canadian Council on Animal Care, permitted by the government of British Columbia in accordance with the Wildlife Act under Dr. Cori Lausen (Permit # MRCB15-163558), Species At Risk Act (Permit # SARA-PYR-2018–00444), and the British Columbia Government in accordance with the Wildlife Act (Permit # MRCB15-163558). Land access permission was granted by Alice Lake Park (BC Parks File # 98700–20).

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Communicated by G. S Wilkinson

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Rensel, L. ., Hodges, K.E. & Lausen, C.L. Maternity colony social structure of myotis in British Columbia, Canada. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 76, 159 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-022-03265-8

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