224— Analysis of Foraging Bat Species on the SUNY Geneseo Campus

Bats are often an overlooked or vilified taxon, but they perform numerous important ecosystem services including pest control, pollination, as well as nutrient cycling. Their nocturnal behavior, quick movements, and small size make them difficult to study. Audio recording is among the most effective ways to study bat populations, as the echolocation they use to find and capture prey can be recorded using high-frequency recording devices without the need to capture individuals.This study analyzed the patterns of bat foraging populations around the SUNY Geneseo campus from early June until late September with high-frequency audio recording to estimate the number of bats in different areas around campus. These recordings were analyzed with respect to environmental conditions, namely temperature, humidity, as well as time of year. As identified in a previous study, the most prevalent species on campus are the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), and the silver-haired bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans). Our analysis suggests, seasonal variation had a much greater effect on foraging behavior than other environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.