The Influence of Urbanization on Bat Species Composition and Activity in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Jane M. Kunberger^1,*, Emily L. Munch¹, Naya M. Black¹, Samantha Pettibone¹, and Ashley M. Long¹

¹Agricultural Center and School of Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 23, Issue 3 (2024): 339–350

First published early online: 3 August 2024

Abstract
Urbanization has negatively affected biodiversity worldwide, but bat responses to urbanization vary by region and species. We used passive acoustic monitors to examine bat species composition and activity from December 2020 to February 2021 (winter) and July–September 2021 (summer) at urban, greenspace, and rural sites in and adjacent to Baton Rouge, LA. We detected a similar number of species during both seasons, but bat activity was greater in summer compared to winter. We detected a similar number of species across sites during summer, but in winter, we detected more species at greenspace sites compared to urban and rural sites. Tadarida brasiliensis (Mexican Free-tailed Bat) was the most common species we detected during our study and was most active at greenspace sites during winter and urban sites during summer. The other species we detected were generally more active at greenspace sites compared to urban and rural sites during both seasons.

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