Kristen Lear

Holding an Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) caught in a mist net in central Texas

Holding an Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) caught in a mist net in central Texas (2010)

Mist netting for bats in the mountains near Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (2015)

Mist netting for bats in the mountains near Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (2015)

Interests:

Bat ecology and conservation; transboundary ecosystem services of bats; social-ecological systems; landscape ecology

Bats are my passion. I have worked with bats in central Texas pecan orchards (studying the pest control services of bats to pecan farmers and the preferences of Evening Bats (Nycticeius humeralis) for bat house design) and in Naracoorte Caves, South Australia (conducting population studies on the critically endangered Southern Bent-wing Bat (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii)). I am now working with nectarivorous (nectar-feeding) bats that pollinate agave plants in Mexico. I am specifically interested in understanding how conservation of these bats can be incorporated into human use and management of agaves, which are used for a variety of products, including the famous tequila and mezcal as well as many other important cultural products. I am in the University of Georgia’s Integrative Conservation PhD program, which focuses on joining the natural and social sciences in an integrative approach to doing conservation. I will incorporate both the natural sciences (e.g. understanding the foraging and roosting ecology of the bats) as well as the social sciences (e.g. understanding how farmers and rural Mexican communities harvest, manage, and use agaves, and understanding their decision-making in regards to agave management) in order to better address bat conservation needs within this complex social-ecological system.

I am co-advised by Dr. King and Dr. Jeffrey Hepinstall-Cymerman in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources: http://hepinstallcymerman.uga.edu/kristen_lear.html

Publications:

E.A. Roche, Brown, C.R., Brown, M.B., & Lear, K.M. (2013) Recapture Heterogeneity in Cliff Swallows: Increased Exposure to Mist Nets Leads to Net Avoidance. PLoS ONE, 8(3): e58092. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058092. http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0058092

Lear, Kristen. (2013) An American in Australia: Monitoring the maternity colony of Southern Bent-wing Bats (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii) at Naracoorte Caves National Park, South Australia. Journal of the Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association, 86:15-18. ACKMA Journal, Southern Bent-wing Bats

select presentations:

“Landscape Approaches to Modeling Cross-boundary Ecosystem Services: Introduction and Proposed Project with Migratory Bats”, K.M. Lear, J. Hepinstall-Cymerman, 9th International Association of Landscape Ecology World Congress, Portland, OR, July 5-9, 2015, http://ialeworldcongressabstracts.org/presentation.php?presentation=739

“Population Monitoring of the Maternity Colony of Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii at Naracoorte Caves National Park, South Australia”, K.M. Lear, T. Reardon, L. Lumsden, 16th International Bat Research Conference/43rd North American Symposium on Bat Research, San Jose, Costa Rica, August 2013, IBRC Abstract

“Population fluctuations of the maternity colony of Southern Bent-wing Bats (Miniopterus schreibersii bassanii) at Naracoorte Caves National Park, South Australia”, K.M. Lear, T. Reardon, L. Lumsden, 15th Australasian Bat Society Conference, Melbourne, Australia, April 2012, AND Speleobats Cave-roosting Bats International Conference, Miskolc, Hungary, September 2012

“Preference in bat house design by the Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis)”, K.M. Lear, E. Braun de Torrez, T.H. Kunz, North American Symposium on Bat Research, Denver, CO, October 2010, NASBR 2010 Abstracts

“Bat foraging activity increases near bat houses”,  K.M. Lear, E. Braun de Torrez, T.H. Kunz, Ohio Academy of Science Annual Meeting, Ada, OH, April 2010, OAS Abstract

Other websites:

I have a new website! It contains information about my current and past research, my outreach, and other fun stuff like field work photos and videos. Check it out!: http://kristenlear.wixsite.com/batconservation

I have started to keep a blog about my research in Mexico, my thoughts about my PhD work, and other bat-related things. If you’re interested take a look!: Cross-Pollination

Also, if you’re interested in following my academic work, I’m on Research Gate and hope to keep this updated with publications, presentations, etc.: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kristen_Lear

Finally, you can follow me on Twitter @BatsForLife

select media coverage:

ABC South East SA Radio, Mornings, Interview (October 12, 2012) http://blogs.abc.net.au/files/mornings-1st-half-hour-12-10-1.mp3

contact:

Feel free to contact me with questions about bats, the lab, UGA, or grad school in general! klear@uga.edu