Great Plains Natural Science Society

 

The Prairie Naturalist

Date of this Version

6-2010

Document Type

Article

Citation

The Prairie Naturalist· 42(1/2): June 2010, pp 65-66

Abstract

ats are efficient predators of night-flying insects (Whitaker 1993), particularly in urban, agricultural, and forested areas in South Dakota (Kiesow 2004). In South Dakota, 6 bat species are considered rare and presently monitored by the South Dakota Natural Heritage Program (SDNHP; South Dakota Natural Heritage Program 2002). Because bats serve a vital ecosystem function there is an increased need to conserve bats and their habitats. Hence, the objectives of this project were to determine bat species richness along the Missouri River in central South Dakota. We conducted surveys of bats using mist-nets and acoustic detection from early May to early October 2003- 2005.

During this study, we documented the likely importance of riparian corridors to bats in the plains region and believe the Missouri River may serve as a migration corridor for many bat species.

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