Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Soto Shoender, Jose

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies with Biology

Abstract

Insects and bats act as potential bioindicators for environmental health in a given area due to their sensitivity to ecological change, alterations, and placement within the food chain. This study works to establish a baseline framework for the assessing of habitat quality in Big Waters Land Trust Myakka Headwaters Preserve (MHP) within Manatee County, Florida. This was done through the combined use of passive acoustic bat monitoring alongside insect light-trapping. Insect sampling was conducted at 8 sites/habitat types across MHP between September and November 2025. The use of a modified UV light trap design resulted in the collection of a total of 34,016 insect specimens spanning 13 taxonomic orders with Coleoptera that were less than 2mm in size making up a majority of the samples collected. As for the acoustic monitoring, a total of 41,425 bat calls were auto identified between July and August 2025. From this, 9 bat species were identified, including species of conservation concern like the tricolored bat and Southeastern myotis. Manual review of one species that was auto-identified led to identified false-positives being detected for one species, highlighting the importance of cautious interpretation and one of the potential limitations of acoustic monitoring. Overall insect abundance and diversity within MHP indicate that it may provide essential habitat for several bat species and their insect food sources, making it a possible ecosystem source for the surrounding area that is comprised of farmland and rural development. Due to the absence of spatial and temporal replication in the sampling design, this study does not support robust statistical comparisons of insect abundance between habitat types. findings should be interpreted as preliminary. Recommendations for future monitoring include expanded spatial replication within habitat types, extending sampling duration, and incorporation of DNA metabarcoding (or other methods) to determine potential bat food sources. Results from this baseline assessment are intended to inform ongoing habitat management and restoration priorities at MHP.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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