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Paul Cryan

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Observing and counting bats is extremely difficult. Bats hide during the day, fly in darkness, and most species in the United States (US) become inactive and inaccessible in cryptic hibernation sites for 7-8 months each year. More than 40 different species of bats occur year-round in the US, yet reasonable population estimates exist for very few. Populations of US bats face new and unprecedented threats from white-nose syndrome (WNS) and industrial wind turbines. Like WNS, wind energy development might adversely affect entire populations of bats. Species of bats dying at wind turbines in the greatest numbers rank among the most cryptic, elusive, and poorly understood. Hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus) compose approximately...
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These bat location estimates have been reported by Bogan and others (In press) and come in the form of a GIS shape file. Three species of nectar-feeding phyllostomid bats migrate north from Mexico into deserts of the United States (U.S.) each spring and summer to feed on blooms of columnar cacti and century plants (Agave spp). However, the habitat needs of these important desert pollinators are poorly understood. We followed the nighttime movements of two species of long-nosed bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae and L. nivalis) in an area of late-summer sympatry at the northern edges of their migratory ranges. We radiotracked bats in extreme southwestern New Mexico during 22 nights over two summers and acquired location...
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Migratory species may provide more ecosystem goods and services to humans in certain parts of their range than others. These areas may or may not coincide with the locations of habitat on which the species is most dependent for its continued population viability. This situation can present significant policy challenges, as locations that most support a given species may be in effect subsidizing the provision of services in other locations, often in different political jurisdictions. The ability to quantify these spatial subsidies could be used to develop economic incentives that internalize the costs and benefits of protecting migratory species, enhancing cross-jurisdictional cooperative management. Targeted payments...
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Conservation planning can be challenging due to the need to balance biological concerns about population viability with social concerns about the benefits biodiversity provide to society, often while operating under a limited budget. Methods and tools that help prioritize conservation actions are critical for the management of at-risk species. Here, we use a multiattribute utility function to assess the optimal maternity roosts to conserve for maintaining the population viability and the ecosystem services of a single species, the Mexican free-tailed bat.
Categories: Publication; Types: Citation
The endemic subspecies of the Pacific sheath-tailed bat (payeyi; Emballonura semicaudata rotensis), and the Mariana swiftlet (chachaguak; Aerodramus bartschi) once inhabited many of the islands that comprise the Mariana archipelago (Lemke 1986, Flannery 1995, Ellison et al. 2003, Cruz et al. 2008). Both are insectivorous species that roost or nest almost exclusively in natural limestone caves (Pratt et al. 1987). Population threats to these two species primarily include habitat loss from past clearing of native forest for agriculture, with subsequent replacement by invasive vegetation (particularly Lantana camara), habitat degradation from feral goat browsing, persistent disturbance of nests and roosts, pesticide...
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