Illinois College Bat Research Program

Welcome to the Illinois College Bat Research Program Website. The primary focus of our work is to study wild bat populations to learn more about their habitat requirements (e.g. for roosting and raising their young, important areas for foraging) and their social behavior which will ultimately provide important information for preservation and enhancement of species that are in decline due to human influences. Bats are a critical component of a healthy ecosystem - a bat can eat up to their body weight in insects in a single night and many other species are important pollinators of plants. With populations of many species declining in North America due to White Nose Syndrome, a fungal disease that affects bats while they are hibernating, identifying and managing summer roosting habitats and foraging habitats are important for the development of conservation plans for these important species.

To this end, we collaborate with multiple organizations both locally (e.g. the Illinois Department of Natural Resources) and abroad (Natural History Museum of Pinar del Rio and Soroa Botanical Gardens in Cuba) for our work. Thus, students working in our group will have opportunities to conduct both field research examining the social behavior of temperate and tropical bat species (locations include sites in Illinois, South Florida, and in Western Cuba) and laboratory research analyzing acoustic recordings, collecting behavioral data captured from video recordings, and collecting genetic data using wing punches from captured bats to make inferences about social structure and population genetics. Please see the links above to learn more about the current projects in our lab.

Dr. Arnold (left) with Cuban bat expert Jose Manual de la Cruz Mora

IC students along with Dr. Arnold and our collaborator Jose Manual de la Cruz Mora in La Barca Cave, Guanahacabibes National Park, Cuba - (photo by Larry W. Richardson)

Students who conduct research in the lab present their work at both regional and national academic conferences. Top Left - 2023 North American Society of Bat Research Conference in Winnipeg, Canada; Top Right - 2016 North American Society of Bat Research Conference in San Antonio, Texas; Bottom Left and Bottom Right - 2024 Illinois State Academy of Sciences Meeting at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois.

Selected Publications and Presentations from the Lab (IC Students in Bold)

Arnold BD, J. Manuel De La Cruz Mora, and JD Roesch. 2022. Assessing the Structure and Function of Distress Calls in Cuban Fruit-Eating Bats (Brachyphylla nana). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.907751
Morgan, J, and BD Arnold. A Comparative Approach to the Analysis of Insectivorous Bat Distress Calls. Talk presented at the April 2024 Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science at Millikin University in Decatur Illinois
Renken, Z and BD Arnold. The Use of Automated Recorders to Examine Shifting Insectivorous Bat Population Trends in Siloam Springs State Park. Poster presented at the April 2024 Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science at Millikin University in Decatur Illinois. **Awarded runner up for best undergraduate poster in the zoology category
Mendoza, AM and BD Arnold. The Use of Automated Recorders to Assess the Effects of Environmental Factors on Foraging Activity of Insectivorous Bats in Siloam Springs State Park. Poster presented at the April 2024 Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science at Millikin University in Decatur Illinois.
Morgan, J, A. Stroup, and BD Arnold. The Effects of Environmental Factors on Social Calling Behavior of Insectivorous Bats. Poster presented at the 51st North American Society for Bat Research meeting in Winnipeg Canada in October 2023
Morgan, J, A. Stroup, and BD Arnold. Acoustic Structure and Variability of Distress Calls in Evening Bats (Nycticeius humeralis). Poster presented at the April 2023 Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science at Bradley University in Peoria, IL
Stroup, A., J. Morgan, and BD Arnold. Using Automated Recorders to Study Social Calls of Insectivorous Bats in Siloam Springs State Park. Poster presented at the April 2023 Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science at Bradley University in Peoria, IL
Sgambelluri, L, BD Arnold, and RK Geroff. The Use of Automated Passive Recorders to Examine how Abiotic Factors Including Temperature, Humidity, and Barometric Pressure Affect Bat Activity. Talk presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences meeting (virtual) in April 2022
Genrich, M, BD Arnold, and RK Geroff. The Effect of Prescribed Burns on Bat Activity and Species Composition in Riparian and Upland Habitats of Siloam Springs. Talk presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences meeting (virtual) in April 2022
Doyle, SA, BD Arnold, and RK Geroff. The Effect of Prescribed Burns on Bat Activity and Species Composition in Upland and Riparian Habitats. Poster presented at the 48th North American Society for Bat Research meeting in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in October 2018 and the Illinois State Academy of Sciences Meeting at Bradley University in April 2019 (runner-up for best undergraduate poster in the zoology division).
Miller, C and BD Arnold. Using Guano as a Noninvasive Method to Analyze Stress Levels in Freeranging Big Brown Bats. Poster to be presented at the 48th North American Society for Bat Research meeting in Puerto Vallarta Mexico in October 2018.
Mies, R, and BD Arnold. mtDNA Variation Between Populations of Evening Bats (Nycticeius humeralis) in Florida and Illinois. Poster presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences Meeting at Millikin University in April 2018
Miller, C and BD Arnold. Using Guano to Analyze Stress Hormones in Female, Reproductive Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus). Poster presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences Meeting at Millikin University in April 2018
Roesch, JD and BD Arnold. Assessing the Function of Distress Calls in Cuban Fruit-Eating Bats (Brachyphylla nana). Poster presented at the Illinois State Academy of Sciences Meeting at Millikin University in April 2018
Arnold, BD, KA Fulkerson, and TR Duffy. Echolocation diversity of cave roosting bats in Western Cuba – Implications for an acoustic monitoring program. Poster presented at the North American Society for Bat Research annual meeting in San Antonio TX, October 2016

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