Calcium as a limiting resource to insectivorous bats: can water holes provide a supplemental mineral source?

Data are presented on a bat assemblage captured among 10 water holes in Colorado over 5 years. The assemblage consists of Myotis ciliolabrum , M. evotis , M. lucifugus , M. thysanodes , M. volans , Eptesicus fuscus , Lasiurus cinereus , Lasionycteris noctivagans and Corynorhinus townsendii . Results show that reproductive females and juveniles are captured in higher frequencies at water holes containing higher water hardness and that water hardness correlates highly significantly with dissolved calcium content. Also presented are laboratory test data on the stomach volume of Eptesicus fuscus that provide a model for understanding the effect of dissolved calcium content in water as a significant resource. These data indicate that water holes provide supplemental sources of calcium for bats not provided by diet.     

DNA fingerprinting provides evidence of discriminate suckling and non-random mating in little brown bats Myotis lucifugus

Recent advances in DNA extraction and fingerprinting techniques allowed examination of genetic similarity of groups of Myotis lucifugus at maternity roosts. Mean percentage band-sharing between young was significantly higher than between mothers, suggesting fertilization success skewed for individual males or male lineages. Mean percentage band-sharing between presumed mothers and young was significantly higher than band-sharing between all other groups, suggesting that Myotis lucifugus preferentially suckle their own young.