by BELLA LOCKWOOD-WATSON
UNO Communications Assistant
It’s after midnight in the heavily wooded area of the Glacier Creek Preserve just outside of Omaha, Nebraska. Han Li, Ph.D., is working diligently with the aid of his headlamp and the last bit of daylight to set up a net that is invisible to the human eye. Li waits patiently, sometimes until the early hours of the morning, waiting for one thing: bats.
The next day, Li’s graduate assistant, Evan Wigley, will return to the field when the grass is still damp with the early morning dew to collect data and maintain the team’s equipment.
Li, an assistant professor of biology at UNO, has been studying bats for nearly a decade.
He has always been interested in the effects of urbanization on wildlife, but found himself particularly drawn to bats because of their nocturnal nature. Li stated that pursuing this research aligned best with his lifestyle, joking that he himself is nocturnal.
Li and Wigley’s current research delves into the complexities of urban bat conservation in Nebraska’s evolving landscape.
Bats play pivotal roles in ecosystems by regulating insect populations and pollinating plants, making their conservation crucial. Employing innovative methodologies, their study explores bat behavior, habitat preferences, and population dynamics amidst urban challenges.
“The reason bats are crucial, especially in the Midwest, is due to our strong agricultural industry. In agriculture, pests pose significant threats, and North American bats, being largely insectivorous, play a vital role in controlling these pests,” said Li. “This is particularly important for our region.”
Li added that bats serve as pollinators for many essential plants, such as agave used in tequila production, and traditional crops like bananas and cacao. He noted their role in pollination is “indispensable across various agricultural sectors.”
Li and Wigley began their first field season together during the summer of 2023 with the goal of their research being to promote bat conservation in Nebraska. Wigley, currently pursuing a master’s degree in biology at UNO, brings both enthusiasm and technical expertise to their collaborative effort.
Each week, Wigley visits the field sites, where he collects bat detectors that have been placed at the top of flagpoles. Once Wigley reaches the top of the poles, he gathers the recordings located inside of the devices, replaces them with new ones, and replaces the batteries. These detectors collect audio that can be used by the researchers to determine what species of bats have been in the area.
It’s after midnight in the heavily wooded area of the Glacier Creek Preserve just outside of Omaha, Nebraska. Han Li, Ph.D., is working diligently with the aid of his headlamp and the last bit of daylight to set up a net that is invisible to the human eye. Li waits patiently, sometimes until the early hours of the morning, waiting for one thing: bats.
The next day, Li’s graduate assistant, Evan Wigley, will return to the field when the grass is still damp with the early morning dew to collect data and maintain the team’s equipment.
Li, an assistant professor of biology at UNO, has been studying bats for nearly a decade.
He has always been interested in the effects of urbanization on wildlife, but found himself particularly drawn to bats because of their nocturnal nature. Li stated that pursuing this research aligned best with his lifestyle, joking that he himself is nocturnal.
Li and Wigley’s current research delves into the complexities of urban bat conservation in Nebraska’s evolving landscape.
Bats play pivotal roles in ecosystems by regulating insect populations and pollinating plants, making their conservation crucial. Employing innovative methodologies, their study explores bat behavior, habitat preferences, and population dynamics amidst urban challenges.
“The reason bats are crucial, especially in the Midwest, is due to our strong agricultural industry. In agriculture, pests pose significant threats, and North American bats, being largely insectivorous, play a vital role in controlling these pests,” said Li. “This is particularly important for our region.”
Li added that bats serve as pollinators for many essential plants, such as agave used in tequila production, and traditional crops like bananas and cacao. He noted their role in pollination is “indispensable across various agricultural sectors.”
Li and Wigley began their first field season together during the summer of 2023 with the goal of their research being to promote bat conservation in Nebraska. Wigley, currently pursuing a master’s degree in biology at UNO, brings both enthusiasm and technical expertise to their collaborative effort.
Each week, Wigley visits the field sites, where he collects bat detectors that have been placed at the top of flagpoles. Once Wigley reaches the top of the poles, he gathers the recordings located inside of the devices, replaces them with new ones, and replaces the batteries. These detectors collect audio that can be used by the researchers to determine what species of bats have been in the area.
