Rochelle setting up bat acoustic monitoring equipment in a Napa Vineyard

For her undergraduate honors thesis, Rochelle studied bat activity in North Coast vineyards. Using acoustic equipment, she tested whether local or landscape-scale habitat diversity influenced vineyard bat activity. Rochelle and her colleagues found that local habitat diversity significantly increased overall bat activity, especially for two of the most common bat species detected (the Yuma myotis & Big brown bat).

These species are also known to consume agricultural pests. Thus, promoting their activity in agricultural landscape will not only benefit bats, but may also help suppress agricultural pests. Rochelle’s research was published last week in the journal Agriculture, Ecosystems, and the Environment.