Artificial Light at Night and Bat Movement Along Ecological Corridors

Awardee: Jill Carpenter

Bio:
Jill Carpenter is a third-year PhD student in the Blumstein lab at UCLA whose research focuses
on challenges and implications for bats roosting in human-modified landscapes. She is
particularly interested in behavioral responses to anthropogenic noise, light, and other
disturbances associated with urban and peri-urban environments. She hopes to combine her
robust background in management with the rigor of academia to bridge these disciplines and
contribute to evidence-based conservation and management of bats.

Project:
Southern California is characterized by extensive urbanization in zones of high biodiversity, and
artificial light at night (ALAN) has major implications for bat movement within these fragmented
landscapes. Given that broad-spectrum LED lighting is becoming more widespread when
understanding of the ecological effects on bats is lacking, I will conduct a field experiment to
determine lighting intensity thresholds at which effects on bat movement are observed and
ascertain what local bat species are most affected. The study will provide insight into the effects
of ALAN on bat movement along ecological corridors and inform evidence-based mitigation
recommendations by providing provide targets for how much light trespass must be reduced to
adequately minimize adverse effects on bat movement.