Bats partition activity in space and time in a large, heterogeneous landscape

Diverse species assemblages theoretically partition along multiple resource axes to maintain niche separation between all species. Temporal partitioning has received less attention than spatial or dietary partitioning but may facilitate niche separation when species overlap along other resource axes. We conducted a broad-scale acoustic study of the diverse and heterogeneous Great Smoky Mountains National Park in the Appalachian Mountains. Between 2015 and 2016, we deployed acoustic bat detectors at 50 sites (for a total of 322 survey nights). We examined spatiotemporal patterns of bat activity (by phonic group: Low, Mid, and Myotis) to test the hypothesis that bats partition both space and time. Myotis and Low bats were the most spatially and temporally dissimilar, while Mid bats were more general in their resource use. Low bats were active in early successional openings or low-elevation forests, near water, and early in the evening. Mid bats were similarly active in all land cover clas...