Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

1274

Date

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Biology

Committee Chair

Michael L Kennedy

Committee Member

James E Moore

Committee Member

Bill A Simco

Abstract

Biodiversity measures of bats were investigated at three sites in western Tennessee. Mist nets were used to capture bats during summer months, and biological indices were derived. A Shannon index was used to calculate species diversity, and a Berger-Parker Index was utilized to determine dominance for the most abundant species at each site. Percent biomass of each species captured was calculated for each taxon at each site. In total, eight species were recorded (eastern red bat, Lasiurus borealis; tricolored bat, Perimyotis subflavus; evening bat, Nycticeius humeralis; southeastern myotis, Myotis austroriparius; little brown myotis, M. lucifugus; gray myotis, M. grisescens; silver-haired bat, Lasionycteris noctivagans; and hoary bat, L. cinereus). Eastern red bat was the most numerically dominant species at each site sampled. Overall, results supported previous studies in suggesting that communities show skewed species abundance. Quantitative measures of biodiversity of bats in the region are reported for the first time.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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