Applications of Advanced Imaging and Information Technology for
Assessing the Ecological and Economic Impacts of
Brazilian Free-tailed Bats on Agroecosystems

Professor Thomas H. Kunz
Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology
Department of Biology
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

The Brazilian free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) is a migratory species that forms some of the largest aggregations of mammals known to mankind. Each night during warm months, members of large maternity colonies disperse over varied landscapes in the southwestern U.S. to feed on flying insects. Some of these insects include crop pests, such as adults of the corn earworm and cotton bollworm, two of the most destructive pest species known to agriculture. Ecological, behavioral, and physiological data, using doubly-labeled water, radiotelemetry, infrared thermal imaging, and NEXRAD Doppler radar, combined with computer vision technology, are being used to assess colony size, nightly dispersal, foraging behavior, diet, and daily energy intake for assessing ecological and economic impacts and ecosystem services provided by these bats in agroecosystems.

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