Assessing the Presence of Bat Species in Restored and Degraded Southern Appalachian Wetlands

Abstract

Wetlands are critical ecosystems that support a wide variety of plant and animal species. However, these habitats are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic factors including pollution, human development, and the introduction of invasive species. Restoration projects have garnered more attention and interest among conservationists for these reasons. The majority of these restoration projects focus their research on singular species, not studying how restoration efforts have affected the ecosystem. The goal of this study is to examine how wetland restoration influences bat communities in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Specifically, my goal is to assess if there is a difference in bat activity and species presence I will evaluate bat activity at wetland sites by comparing pre-restoration to post-restoration data and evaluate restored wetland sites to degraded sites during the same time period.