Ecological release of interspecific competition due to mortality from white-nose syndrome
Ecological release from interspecific competition due to declines in susceptible species from white-nose syndrome (WNS) may result in a shift in the spatial composition and abundance of bat species on Ft. Campbell. Alternatively, land use change may also be driving shifts in bat communities. Graduate student Dakota Van Parys (MS ' 25) used 25 years of mist-netting to determine the impacts of both land use change and species declines on non-susceptible species. He assessed this at two spatial scales: first, he predicted yearly capture rates to decline in WNS-susceptible species after WNS invasion across the study area. Second, he will determined the impact of local declines of WNS-susceptible species on the spatial occupancy of non-susceptible species. He found that at broad scales, land use change drove some capture rates of non-susceptible species, while at the local site scale capture rates of some species increased with susceptible species. 

Impacts of interspecific interactions on occupancy of mesomammals and prey

Graduate student Ryan Stuart (MS '24) aimed to understand the effects of surrounding habitat composition, intraguild interactions, and predator-prey relationships on the presence of meso-carnivores, within multiple prairie restoration sites of the Tennessee Cumberland Plateau. Using multi-species occupancy, he evaluated; 1) the effects of landscape variables on the spatial occupancy of meso-mammal species, 2) to study the intraguild relationships on spatial occupancy of coyote (Canis latrans) and bobcat (Lynx rufus), and 3) the effects of predator-prey interactions on spatial occupancy of these species. He found that the occupancy of prey species was driven by grassland availability, and bobcat presence was driven by prey species occupancy; coyotes, however, tended to avoid areas where bobcats were present. 
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Behavior of temperate bat species in response to increased predation risk
Graduate student Brandon Gulley (MS '24) quantified the impact of visual (owl and hawk decoys) and audio (owl and hawk calls) predator presence on foraging behavior in an experimental framework and determined the perception of predation significantly alters bat foraging activity. He found that both visual and audio cues decrease total foraging in most bat species and the impacts of weather variable, specifically precipitation, moon luminosity, and air temperature influence foraging site abandonment. The results of this study will help mitigate other sources of bat mortality outside the influence of disease. More specifically, we can help local land managers focus their management regimes on providing cover from predation and reduce the impacts on bat behavior. 

Studying bat communities on Fort Campbell Army Installation, KY/TN

  • Graduate student Sarah Krueger (MS '22) determined the impacts of local climate, winter duration, and disease on reproductive females across the southeastern United States over a 30-year period. Sarah found that the number of reproductive females in both WNS-susceptible and non-susceptible species was positively correlated with pre-hibernation local climate conditions, and WNS-susceptible species experienced an overall decline with years since WNS (link to article).  
  • Graduate student Sarah Zirkle (MS '22) measured roost site selection during the summer for tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus). Sarah examined multiple variables of roost trees using conditional logistic models and found overwhelming support for roost tree height. These results (link to article) are helpful for management of this species.
  • Graduate student (MS '22) Trevor Walker examined the relationship between pollution intolerant aquatic insects (EPT) and bat species diversity metrics on Fort Campbell, KY. Trevor found that bat diversity was driven by EPT family richness and individual bat species responded differently to various environmental covariates.

Assessing the energetic effects of white-nose syndrome in western bat species in the context of climate change

Dr. Haase was a postdoctoral research associate at Montana State University in conjunction with the Wildlife Conservation Society on a project focusing on predicting the bioenergetic impacts of white-nose syndrome in western bat species. More information about the project can be found here.

​Impacts of spatial configuration of thermal and forage habitats on the Florida manatee

Dr. Haase did her PhD in the School of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida with Dr. Robert Fletcher and Dr. Daniel Slone at the U.S. Geological Survey Sirenia Project. Her PhD dissertation focused on how the spatial configuration of forage and thermal habitats influences behavior of the Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris), a cold intolerant herbivorous marine mammal that relies on thermal refugia for thermoregulation. 

Energetic costs of Sarcoptic mange in Yellowstone wolves using themal imagery

Dr. Haase worked with the U.S. Geological Survey's Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center in Bozeman, MT with Dr. Paul Cross researching how mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) impacts the heat balance of gray wolves (Canis lupus) in Yellowstone National Park. This work was featured in Wired magazine in May 2012 (Link to article), Science World, a Scholastic, Inc. magazine in September 2012 (Link to article), and on the Curiosity Series of the Discovery Channel, called "X-Ray: Yellowstone" (Link to video).

Integrating thermal constraints into habitat suitability for moose in the Adirondacks 

Dr. Haase attended the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) for her M.S. At ESF she studied the relationship between the thermal ecology of moose (Alces alces) and how best to incorporate these thermal constraints into habitat suitability models.