{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140840"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/140840","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Disease Status, Occupancy, and Relative Activity of Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) in the Northeastern United States","abstract":"White-nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused catastrophic declines in several North American bat species, including >90% losses in Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus). Because small, remnant populations persist across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, there are key questions about their continued vulnerability to WNS or other pathogens, habitat associations in a post-WNS landscape, and the extent to which population stabilization or recovery may already be underway. This dissertation integrates disease surveillance, long-term acoustic monitoring and Bayesian occupancy and activity modeling to evaluate population trajectories and ecological drivers influencing Little Brown Bat persistence across multiple spatial scales. Chapter 1 of this dissertation explores the potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into Little Brown Bat populations throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. We analyzed saliva samples from 235 individual little brown bats from a total of eight maternity colonies. No bat tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR, indicating the virus was either not present or that it persists in undetectable levels in little brown bat populations in this region. The second chapter of this dissertation explores the trends of WNS affected bat species in the mid-Atlantic, including Little Brown Bats, Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis), and Tricolored Bats (Perimyotis subflavus), using relative activity models using acoustic data collected from the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park in Maryland along the Potomac River Corridor. Little Brown Bats and Tricolored Bats showed increasing activity over time and strong positive associations with proximity to water, and wetlands, consistent with pre-WNS habitat use and may suggest early regional stabilization. Northern Long-eared Bats, however, remained rare with no clear habitat associations, mirroring severe ongoing declines across their range. The third chapter of this dissertation explores patterns of Little Brown Bat occupancy and relative activity throughout New England. Occupancy models indicated largely stable site use with weak positive relationships with year and wetland cover. In contrast, relative activity displayed stronger and more informative patterns, including significant increases over time and positive associations with forest cover, and wetland area, providing greater insight into patterns missed by occupancy alone.","abstract_html":"White-nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused catastrophic declines in several North American bat species, including >90% losses in Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus). Because small, remnant populations persist across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, there are key questions about their continued vulnerability to WNS or other pathogens, habitat associations in a post-WNS landscape, and the extent to which population stabilization or recovery may already be underway. This dissertation integrates disease surveillance, long-term acoustic monitoring and Bayesian occupancy and activity modeling to evaluate population trajectories and ecological drivers influencing Little Brown Bat persistence across multiple spatial scales. Chapter 1 of this dissertation explores the potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into Little Brown Bat populations throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. We analyzed saliva samples from 235 individual little brown bats from a total of eight maternity colonies. No bat tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR, indicating the virus was either not present or that it persists in undetectable levels in little brown bat populations in this region. The second chapter of this dissertation explores the trends of WNS affected bat species in the mid-Atlantic, including Little Brown Bats, Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis), and Tricolored Bats (Perimyotis subflavus), using relative activity models using acoustic data collected from the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park in Maryland along the Potomac River Corridor. Little Brown Bats and Tricolored Bats showed increasing activity over time and strong positive associations with proximity to water, and wetlands, consistent with pre-WNS habitat use and may suggest early regional stabilization. Northern Long-eared Bats, however, remained rare with no clear habitat associations, mirroring severe ongoing declines across their range. The third chapter of this dissertation explores patterns of Little Brown Bat occupancy and relative activity throughout New England. Occupancy models indicated largely stable site use with weak positive relationships with year and wetland cover. In contrast, relative activity displayed stronger and more informative patterns, including significant increases over time and positive associations with forest cover, and wetland area, providing greater insight into patterns missed by occupancy alone.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Moran, Megan Louise"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":"Fisheries and Wildlife Science","degree_department":"Fish and Wildlife Conservation","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Ford, William Mark"],"committee_members":["Hunter, Elizabeth Ann","Bertke, Andrea S.","Holliday, Jason A."],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-01-15","date_published":"2026-01-15","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:47Z","subjects":["Acoustics","Covid-19","Disease","Little Brown Bat","Myotis lucifugus","Occupancy","Relative Activity","White-nose Syndrome"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:45472"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:45472","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140840","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Ford, William Mark"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Hunter, Elizabeth Ann","Bertke, Andrea S.","Holliday, Jason A."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Fish and Wildlife Conservation"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Moran, Megan Louise"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-01-16T09:00:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-01-16T09:00:38Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-01-15"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Fisheries and Wildlife Science"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Acoustics","Covid-19","Disease","Little Brown Bat","Myotis lucifugus","Occupancy","Relative Activity","White-nose Syndrome"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:45472"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140840"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["White-nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused catastrophic declines in several North American bat species, including >90% losses in Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus). Because small, remnant populations persist across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, there are key questions about their continued vulnerability to WNS or other pathogens, habitat associations in a post-WNS landscape, and the extent to which population stabilization or recovery may already be underway. This dissertation integrates disease surveillance, long-term acoustic monitoring and Bayesian occupancy and activity modeling to evaluate population trajectories and ecological drivers influencing Little Brown Bat persistence across multiple spatial scales. Chapter 1 of this dissertation explores the potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into Little Brown Bat populations throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. We analyzed saliva samples from 235 individual little brown bats from a total of eight maternity colonies. No bat tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR, indicating the virus was either not present or that it persists in undetectable levels in little brown bat populations in this region. The second chapter of this dissertation explores the trends of WNS affected bat species in the mid-Atlantic, including Little Brown Bats, Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis), and Tricolored Bats (Perimyotis subflavus), using relative activity models using acoustic data collected from the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park in Maryland along the Potomac River Corridor. Little Brown Bats and Tricolored Bats showed increasing activity over time and strong positive associations with proximity to water, and wetlands, consistent with pre-WNS habitat use and may suggest early regional stabilization. Northern Long-eared Bats, however, remained rare with no clear habitat associations, mirroring severe ongoing declines across their range. The third chapter of this dissertation explores patterns of Little Brown Bat occupancy and relative activity throughout New England. Occupancy models indicated largely stable site use with weak positive relationships with year and wetland cover. In contrast, relative activity displayed stronger and more informative patterns, including significant increases over time and positive associations with forest cover, and wetland area, providing greater insight into patterns missed by occupancy alone."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["An invasive fungus that causes White-nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats is responsible for the decline of several North American bat species. One of these species, the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus), may be starting to recover in some areas of its range, specifically the Northeast, where WNS was first discovered. This has led to questions about population trends over time, as well as concerns regarding the potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the goal of this dissertation to address these concerns through disease monitoring, and the use of acoustic data to assess population changes and ecological associations that may support recovery for this species. After surveying 235 Little Brown Bats at eight maternity colonies throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States, we did not find evidence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in our sampled individuals. We used bat call data gathered from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park using acoustic monitoring devices to determine changes in call numbers (relative activity) from three WNS-affected bat species including Little Brown Bats, Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis), and Tricolored Bats (Perimyotis subflavus). We found increases in Little Brown Bat and Tricolored Bat relative activity over time. These species were also more active closer to water and in areas with wetlands. The number of calls for the endangered Northern Long-eared Bat were extremely low, and likely because of this, we found no strong ecological associations. We also used acoustic monitoring to analyze Little Brown Bat trends throughout New England. We used both presence/absence data (occupancy), and number of calls at each acoustic monitoring site (relative activity) to assess Little Brown Bat recovery and ecological relationships. We found that although occupancy analysis showed modest increases in occupancy probability over time, as well as a weak association with wetlands, our relative activity analysis showed much clearer patterns, including an increase in relative activity over time and strong associations between relative activity and ecological factors, such as wetlands and forest cover."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Disease Status, Occupancy, and Relative Activity of Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) in the Northeastern United States"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Ford, William Mark"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Hunter, Elizabeth Ann","Bertke, Andrea S.","Holliday, Jason A."],"dc:contributor.department":["Fish and Wildlife Conservation"],"dc:creator":["Moran, Megan Louise"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-01-16T09:00:38Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-01-16T09:00:38Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-01-15"],"dc:description.abstract":["White-nose Syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has caused catastrophic declines in several North American bat species, including >90% losses in Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus). Because small, remnant populations persist across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, there are key questions about their continued vulnerability to WNS or other pathogens, habitat associations in a post-WNS landscape, and the extent to which population stabilization or recovery may already be underway. This dissertation integrates disease surveillance, long-term acoustic monitoring and Bayesian occupancy and activity modeling to evaluate population trajectories and ecological drivers influencing Little Brown Bat persistence across multiple spatial scales. Chapter 1 of this dissertation explores the potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into Little Brown Bat populations throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. We analyzed saliva samples from 235 individual little brown bats from a total of eight maternity colonies. No bat tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR, indicating the virus was either not present or that it persists in undetectable levels in little brown bat populations in this region. The second chapter of this dissertation explores the trends of WNS affected bat species in the mid-Atlantic, including Little Brown Bats, Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis), and Tricolored Bats (Perimyotis subflavus), using relative activity models using acoustic data collected from the Chesapeake and Ohio National Historical Park in Maryland along the Potomac River Corridor. Little Brown Bats and Tricolored Bats showed increasing activity over time and strong positive associations with proximity to water, and wetlands, consistent with pre-WNS habitat use and may suggest early regional stabilization. Northern Long-eared Bats, however, remained rare with no clear habitat associations, mirroring severe ongoing declines across their range. The third chapter of this dissertation explores patterns of Little Brown Bat occupancy and relative activity throughout New England. Occupancy models indicated largely stable site use with weak positive relationships with year and wetland cover. In contrast, relative activity displayed stronger and more informative patterns, including significant increases over time and positive associations with forest cover, and wetland area, providing greater insight into patterns missed by occupancy alone."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["An invasive fungus that causes White-nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats is responsible for the decline of several North American bat species. One of these species, the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus), may be starting to recover in some areas of its range, specifically the Northeast, where WNS was first discovered. This has led to questions about population trends over time, as well as concerns regarding the potential introduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the goal of this dissertation to address these concerns through disease monitoring, and the use of acoustic data to assess population changes and ecological associations that may support recovery for this species. After surveying 235 Little Brown Bats at eight maternity colonies throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States, we did not find evidence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in our sampled individuals. We used bat call data gathered from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park using acoustic monitoring devices to determine changes in call numbers (relative activity) from three WNS-affected bat species including Little Brown Bats, Northern Long-eared Bats (Myotis septentrionalis), and Tricolored Bats (Perimyotis subflavus). We found increases in Little Brown Bat and Tricolored Bat relative activity over time. These species were also more active closer to water and in areas with wetlands. The number of calls for the endangered Northern Long-eared Bat were extremely low, and likely because of this, we found no strong ecological associations. We also used acoustic monitoring to analyze Little Brown Bat trends throughout New England. We used both presence/absence data (occupancy), and number of calls at each acoustic monitoring site (relative activity) to assess Little Brown Bat recovery and ecological relationships. We found that although occupancy analysis showed modest increases in occupancy probability over time, as well as a weak association with wetlands, our relative activity analysis showed much clearer patterns, including an increase in relative activity over time and strong associations between relative activity and ecological factors, such as wetlands and forest cover."],"dc:description.degree":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"dc:format.medium":["ETD"],"dc:identifier.other":["vt_gsexam:45472"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/140840"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["Virginia Tech"],"dc:rights":["In Copyright"],"dc:rights.uri":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"dc:subject":["Acoustics","Covid-19","Disease","Little Brown Bat","Myotis lucifugus","Occupancy","Relative Activity","White-nose Syndrome"],"dc:title":["Disease Status, Occupancy, and Relative Activity of Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) in the Northeastern United States"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Fisheries and Wildlife Science"],"thesis:degree_level":["doctoral"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"],"thesis:institution_name":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:19:47Z"}