Resource Selection and Space Use of Myotis Evotis in a Western Juniper Woodland in Oregon

Resource selection models and estimates of home range provide land managers with information that is required to make informed decisions regarding wildlife conservation and management across multiple spatial scales. We used radiotelemetry to examine resource selection and space use of Myotis evotis (western long-eared myotis) in a western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) woodland in eastern Oregon, United States. Small sample sizes likely constrained our ability to detect differences between estimates of home range size for males x = 424.2 ha, SE = 187.2) and lactating females = 205.85 ha, SE = 47.94). Our estimates are among the largest reported for Myotis species, but likely are biased low due to low ambient temperatures and the methods we used to estimate home range. Best resource selection models for males and lactating females differed across spatial scales, based on Akaike's information criteria with a bias correction term for small sample size (AIC(c)). At the home range scale, resource use by lactating females was negatively related with distance from water, whereas males selected areas with > 0-10% canopy cover over areas with no canopy cover. At the landscape scale, resource use by males and lactating females decreased with increasing distance from roosts and water sources. Additionally, lactating females avoided areas with > 20% canopy cover more than areas with no canopy cover. These results emphasize the importance of managing pre-settlement woodlands located near roost sites and water sources for variable tree densities to maintain foraging areas for bats.