Energetics and Water Flux of Free-Ranging Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) during Pregnancy and Lactation

1990 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kurta ◽  
T. H. Kunz ◽  
K. A. Nagy
2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 1069-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cori L Lausen ◽  
Robert M.R Barclay

We studied big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) roosting in rock crevices along the South Saskatchewan River in southeastern Alberta. We documented roosting behaviour and roost selection. During pregnancy and lactation, individuals aggregated as several small groups or one large group (maternity colony). Postlactating females roosted alone more frequently. During postlactation, individuals periodically returned to roost with a group dominated by pups, between periods of roosting alone. We identified 72 roosts used by members of the colony. Adult females switched roosts frequently and few roosts (24%) were reused. During pregnancy and lactation, the colony roosted in a 1.25-km length of the river valley on the northwest side of the river. With the onset of postlactation, females began roosting on both sides of the river and within a longer section of the river valley, and roosts faced in a more southerly direction. Crevices selected as roosts were more vertical in orientation, were farther from level ground above, and had openings that were smaller than those randomly available. Roosts used during pregnancy, lactation, and postlactation differed in physical attributes; lactation roosts were deeper and had larger openings. Selection of crevices with particular attributes suggested that selection was based on microclimate and avoidance of predation.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 2468-2472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Kurta ◽  
Gary P. Bell ◽  
Kenneth A. Nagy ◽  
Thomas H. Kunz

This study provides the first measurements of daily water flux in free-ranging bats during pregnancy and lactation. We used the wash-out rate of tritiated water from the body water pool to calculate daily water flux in 10 pregnant and 14 lactating little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). Average water influx was 6.16 ± 0.47 (SE) mL/day during pregnancy and 6.91 ± 0.37 mL/day during lactation; average efflux was 6.27 ± 0.44 and 7.07 ± 0.36 mL/day during pregnancy and lactation, respectively. Using data from the literature, we partitioned daily flux into major components. Our calculations indicated that most (> 62%) water influx was preformed water in the insect diet. Drinking water represented 23–26% of daily influx. Although previous studies indicated that evaporative losses greatly exceeded urinary losses in laboratory-maintained M. lucifugus, urinary and evaporative losses were comparable in our free-ranging bats. Urinary losses represented 46% of water efflux during pregnancy and 35% during lactation. Over 80% of all water efflux occurs during the 8-h night.


1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (8) ◽  
pp. 1891-1894 ◽  
Author(s):  
David H. Pistole

The annual lipid cycle in male and female big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus, was studied in relation to the reproductive patterns for each sex. The basic pattern of lipid deposition and use was similar in males and females; however, there were differences between the sexes in the timing of these activities. Females began rapid fat deposition 1 month earlier than males. The beginning of rapid fat deposition in females is associated with the end of lactation and in males with the end of spermatogenesis and the peak mating season. Rates of fat use were similar between the sexes for the entire hibernation period, but the rate in females was more consistent than the rate in males. The caloric content of male bats did not differ throughout the year, but females had higher values during pregnancy and lactation than at other times of the year. Differences between the sexes in the timing of specific events within the annual lipid cycle appear to be adaptations for optimizing reproductive success.


1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1128-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Mark Brigham ◽  
M. Brock Fenton

We used radio tracking and direct observation to determine the effect of roost closure on the roosting and foraging behaviour of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in maternity colonies near Ottawa. Individuals were site loyal, but after eviction they moved short distances to new roosts where they tended to produce fewer offspring. The time spent on the first foraging flight, the maximum distance travelled, and the use of feeding areas did not change with exclusion. The results suggest that bats roost to take advantage of site-specific factors that may increase reproductive success.


2006 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 849-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Ellison ◽  
Thomas J. O'Shea ◽  
Jeffrey Wimsatt ◽  
Roger D. Pearce ◽  
Daniel J. Neubaum ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1043-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie D. Metheny ◽  
Matina C. Kalcounis-Rueppell ◽  
Craig K. R. Willis ◽  
Kristen A. Kolar ◽  
R. Mark Brigham

1969 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 154-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. L. Peterson ◽  
M. Brock Fenion

Specimens of Siamese twin big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) now in the Royal Ontario Museum appear to represent the first reported occurrence among bats.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan L. Pannkuk ◽  
Nicole A. S.-Y. Dorville ◽  
Yvonne A. Dzal ◽  
Quinn E. Fletcher ◽  
Kaleigh J. O. Norquay ◽  
...  

AbstractWhite-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent wildlife fungal disease of cave-dwelling, hibernating bats that has led to unprecedented mortalities throughout North America. A primary factor in WNS-associated bat mortality includes increased arousals from torpor and premature fat depletion during winter months. Details of species and sex-specific changes in lipid metabolism during WNS are poorly understood and may play an important role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Given the likely role of fat metabolism in WNS and the fact that the liver plays a crucial role in fatty acid distribution and lipid storage, we assessed hepatic lipid signatures of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) at an early stage of infection with the etiological agent, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Differences in lipid profiles were detected at the species and sex level in the sham-inoculated treatment, most strikingly in higher hepatic triacylglyceride (TG) levels in E. fuscus females compared to males. Interestingly, several dominant TGs (storage lipids) decreased dramatically after Pd infection in both female M. lucifugus and E. fuscus. Increases in hepatic glycerophospholipid (structural lipid) levels were only observed in M. lucifugus, including two phosphatidylcholines (PC [32:1], PC [42:6]) and one phosphatidylglycerol (PG [34:1]). These results suggest that even at early stages of WNS, changes in hepatic lipid mobilization may occur and be species and sex specific. As pre-hibernation lipid reserves may aid in bat persistence and survival during WNS, these early perturbations to lipid metabolism could have important implications for management responses that aid in pre-hibernation fat storage.


2007 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 620-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Ellison ◽  
Thomas J. O'Shea ◽  
Daniel J. Neubaum ◽  
Richard A. Bowen

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