097 -- Changes in Bat Activity Levels With Differing Weather Patterns on the SUNY Geneseo Campus

Bat species within the order Chiroptera act as important predators of insects in North American ecosystems. Bats locate insect prey by emitting high frequency calls from their nose and mouth. This frequency is too high for humans to hear which makes studying them difficult (Maryland Dept Natural Resources). Two studies: in 2018 (Loce & Mann) and 2021 (Licata & Mackey) used acoustic recording to reveal the presence of bats at different habitats on the SUNY Geneseo campus. The current study was conducted to determine whether the difference in bat activity levels between years could, in part, be due to different weather patterns in 2018 & 2021 . The weather variables used in this study, temperature, percent humidity, wind speed, and rain were taken from a weather station located on the campus. We predict that different weather patterns impact the abundance and diversity of bats and their prey on campus from year to year.