FIGURES
FIGURE 1: Schematic of the experimental design. Two sites in New York
with known persisting colonies of little brown bats and one site that
was previously extirpated of little brown bats were used in this study.
The three sites are referred to as Persisting 1 (Cold + Dry), Persisting
2 (Cold + Wet), and Extirpated (Warm + Wet). Solid and dashed lines on
plots correspond to temperature (Celsius) and vapor pressure deficit
(kPa; higher values correspond to drier conditions), respectively,
within each site over the course of this study. Mean +/- SD of
temperature and vapor pressure deficit within each site is shown on each
plot. Sites varied in their environmental conditions, with the
persisting sites being colder than the extirpated site and Persisting 1
(Cold + Dry) being significantly drier than Persisting 2 (Cold + Wet).
Persisting 2 (Cold + Wet) was similar in its humidity conditions to
Extirpated (Warm + Wet). In early hibernation, 45 bats from each of the
persisting sites (n = 90) were collected and randomly assigned a
translocation site and cage (3 bats per cage). The translocation was
fully factorial, with 15 bats from each site being caged within the same
site, in the opposite persisting site, or the extirpated site. Bats
remained caged within these sites until late hibernation, when survivors
were returned to their site of origin.