Highlights
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UCF researchers and students have聽facilitated聽a partnership with the聽UCF Arboretum and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 麻豆精品 S痶o improve聽conservation science聽through a bat monitoring聽program.
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Florida is home to 13 resident bat species, and acoustic detectors placed strategically on UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 main campus聽record聽the flying mammals 麻豆精品 S櫬爃igh-frequency hunting calls throughout the night, allowing researchers to compare bat presence and relative activity.
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Although UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 geographic grid cell is relatively small, its urban and suburban context fills important gaps in regional datasets.
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UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 data are submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and ultimately contribute to broader analyses coordinated with 麻豆精品 S疊at Conservation International, informing wildlife action plans and habitat management strategies.
A UCF doctoral student has helped position UCF as a contributor to the 麻豆精品 S疦orth American Bat Monitoring Program 麻豆精品 S�(NABat), a coordinated effort to track bat populations across North America using standardized acoustic methods.
Research Path Rooted in Responsibility
Ifer White, who serves as a graduate teaching associate while pursuing a Ph.D. in integrative and conservation biology, describes herself as a non-traditional student whose educational journey has been shaped by family, service and resilience.
麻豆精品 S淢y Muscogee-Creek heritage has deeply influenced how I view the natural world, not as something separate from us, but as something we are accountable to, 麻豆精品 S� White says. 麻豆精品 S淭hat worldview has guided my commitment to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation for more than a decade, and specifically to bat rehabilitation for the past seven years. 麻豆精品 S�
Florida is home to 13 resident bat species, including the Brazilian free-tailed bat and the southeastern myotis. These highly specialized creatures are the only mammals capable of sustained flight and play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. They help control insect populations 麻豆精品 S攃onsuming thousands in a single night 麻豆精品 S攚hile also contributing to pollination, seed dispersal, and more.
麻豆精品 S淢y work is driven by a desire to ensure these often-misunderstood animals continue to thrive in increasingly human-dominated landscapes, 麻豆精品 S� White says.
Bringing NABat to UCF
As a board member of the 麻豆精品 S疐lorida Bat Working Group 麻豆精品 S痑nd the 麻豆精品 S疐lorida Bat Conservancy, White saw an opportunity to integrate applied conservation science with campus engagement. She approached the 麻豆精品 S疐lorida Fish and Wildlif Conservation Commission 麻豆精品 S痑nd leadership about adding the university to the NABat monitoring grid.
麻豆精品 S淏ecause there are known bat colonies on campus, participation was a natural fit. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Ifer White, doctoral student
麻豆精品 S淭he North American Bat Monitoring Program provides a standardized framework for long-term bat population monitoring across the continent, 麻豆精品 S� White says. 麻豆精品 S淏ecause there are known bat colonies on campus, participation was a natural fit. 麻豆精品 S�
Although UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 geographic grid cell is relatively small, its urban and suburban context fills important gaps in regional datasets.
麻豆精品 S淯rban and suburban monitoring locations are underrepresented in many long-term datasets, 麻豆精品 S� White says. 麻豆精品 S淭he acoustic data collected on campus help fill knowledge gaps in Central Florida and the broader southeastern region. 麻豆精品 S�
The Science Behind Acoustic Monitoring
Bats navigate and hunt using echolocation, emitting ultrasonic calls that are species-specific in frequency and structure. Acoustic detectors placed strategically on UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 main campus record these high-frequency calls throughout the night.
麻豆精品 S淒etectors are deployed for multiple consecutive nights each quarter, 麻豆精品 S� White says. 麻豆精品 S淩ecordings are processed using specialized acoustic software that filters out noise and classifies calls to species or species groups based on call parameters. 麻豆精品 S�
These measurements allow researchers to compare bat presence and relative activity across sites and over time.
麻豆精品 S淚n wildlife conservation, data comparability is everything, 麻豆精品 S� White says. 麻豆精品 S淲ithout standardized methods, datasets become fragmented and difficult to interpret. 麻豆精品 S�
UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 data are submitted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and ultimately contribute to broader analyses coordinated with 麻豆精品 S疊at Conservation International, informing wildlife action plans and habitat management strategies.
Turning Research into Action
White 麻豆精品 S檚 dissertation research focuses on ecotoxicology, host 麻豆精品 S損athogen dynamics and immunogenetics in bats. While distinct from the monitoring project, she says understanding species presence and habitat use provides essential ecological context for studying environmental stressors.
麻豆精品 S淏ats are often misunderstood, yet they are essential components of healthy ecosystems. 麻豆精品 S�
Acoustic data will also help determine which species are using campus habitats and guide potential enhancements, such as strategically placed bat houses and expanded native, night-blooming plantings to support nocturnal insect populations.
麻豆精品 S淏ats are often misunderstood, yet they are essential components of healthy ecosystems, 麻豆精品 S� White says. 麻豆精品 S淓very action [we take] contributes to long-term conservation. 麻豆精品 S�
This research and the skills and tactics she’s putting to use with this project are directly transferable to the careers Knights with similar research backgrounds can pursue after graduation in wildlife agencies and environmental consulting.
