Date of Award
8-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Forestry and Environmental Conservation
Committee Chair/Advisor
Erin Buchholtz
Committee Member
Susan Loeb
Committee Member
Jared Elmore
Abstract
Bat populations and their insect prey are declining, making it urgent to understand how habitat features and management support both groups. Early successional habitat (ESH), grasslands and shrublands with reduced vegetative clutter and abundant flowering resources, may benefit foraging bats and nocturnal insects. This study examined how landscape context, patch characteristics, microhabitat features, and management (mechanical mastication and prescribed burns) affected insects and bats across 29 managed fields in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (TN/KY) from 2024–2025. Flight-intercept traps collected 25,297 insects across five orders. Though results were order-specific, vegetative composition and height were the strongest predictors of abundance: shrub cover boosted Diptera and total biomass, taller vegetation increased Hymenoptera but reduced Lepidoptera abundance, and abundance was greater in burned/masticated fields likely due to rapid shrub regeneration. Acoustic detectors recorded over 83,000 bat calls across six species/groups. N-mixture models showed insect abundance, microhabitat, and management history were the top predictors of bat activity, though no single microhabitat variable was significant, and activity didn't differ by management type, field size/shape, or distance to water/roads. This suggests management and microhabitat may shape bat activity indirectly, through prey availability. Overall, ESH presence alone may be enough to support bat foraging in forested landscapes, but sustaining diverse insect communities requires active management and heterogeneous vegetation structure. Land managers should prioritize open habitat with varied vegetation within forest matrices, using prescribed fire and mastication as effective tools for creating and maintaining these openings.
Recommended Citation
Abramowitz, Caroline M., "Insect Abundance and Bat Use of Fields for Foraging in the Cumberland Plateau" (2026). All Theses. 4856.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4856