Fig 1.
Map of 97 hibernacula surveyed in Texas.
Map of the 12 level III ecoregions of Texas [46] and 30-year normal mean temperature at 4 km grid cell resolution (1981–2010) [51]. Ecoregions are numbered based on the original publication. (+) indicate the 97 hibernacula surveyed from November–March 2016–17 and 2017–18 across six of 12 level III Texas ecoregions (Chihuahuan Deserts, East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, South Central Plains, Southwestern Tablelands, Texas Blackland Prairies).
Table 1.
Total count of bats by species for six level III ecoregions in Texas.
Fig 2.
Graphs of temperature profiles for cave and culvert hibernacula.
Average daily internal (black lines) and external (gray lines) temperatures (° C) recorded at two caves and two culverts occupied by overwintering bats in Texas using an EL-USB-2 environmental data logger deployed from 1 October 2016–31 March 2017. Dashed lines indicate the dates when single-visit surveys were conducted to collect skin and microclimate temperature data from hibernating bats. Gray horizontal bars indicate the optimal growth range of P. destructans (12.5–15.8°C) [20]. r represents the correlation coefficient between internal and external temperature with corresponding degrees of freedom.
Fig 3.
Box and whisker plots of average roost temperature, average skin temperature, and vapor pressure deficit for seven bat species.
Box and whisker plots displaying the median, and upper (75%) and lower (25%) quartile range of (A) average roost temperatures, (B) average skin temperatures, and (C) average vapor pressure deficit (VPD) collected between November–March 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 in Texas for the following seven bat species: Rafinesque’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii = CORA), Townsend’s big-eared bat (C. townsendii = COTO), big-brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus = EPFU), southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius = MYAU), cave myotis (M. velifer = MYVE), tri-colored bat (Perimyotis subflavus = PESU), and Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis = TABR). Significant differences between groups (P ≤ 0.05) are distinguished by letters. Filled circles indicate outliers.