Title: Dataset associated with “Context dependency of disease-mediated competitive release in bat assemblages following white-nose syndrome”
Abstract:White-nose syndrome (WNS) has caused dramatic declines of several cave-hibernating bat species in North America since 2006, which has increased the activity of non-susceptible species in some geographic areas or during times of night formerly occupied by susceptible species - indicative of disease-mediated competitive release (DMCR). Yet, this pattern has not been evaluated across multiple bat assemblages simultaneously or across multiple years since WNS onset. We evaluated whether WNS altered spatial and temporal niche partitioning in bat assemblages at four locations in the eastern United States using long-term datasets of bat acoustic activity collected before and after WNS arrival. Activity of WNS-susceptible bat species decreased by 79-98% from pre-WNS levels across the four study locations, but only one of our four study sites provided strong evidence supporting the DMCR hypothesis in bats post-WNS. These results suggest that DMCR is likely dependent on the relative difference in activity by susceptible and non-susceptible species groups pre-WNS and the relative decline of susceptible species post-WNS allowing for competitive release, as well as the amount of time that had elapsed post-WNS. Our findings challenge the generality of WNS-mediated competitive release between susceptible and non-susceptible species and further highlight declining activity of some non-susceptible species, especially Lasiurus borealis, across three of four locations in the eastern US. These results underscore the broader need for conservation efforts to address the multiple potential interacting drivers of bat declines on both WNS susceptible and non-susceptible species.
Contact: 
Sara P. Bombaci, Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, sara.bombaci@colostate.edu
Associated article citation: Bombaci, S. P., Russell, R. E., St. Germain, M. J., Dobony, C. A., Ford, W. M., Loeb, S. C., and Jachowski, D. S.. 2021. Context dependency of disease-mediated competitive release in bat assemblages following white-nose syndrome. Ecosphere 12( 11):e03825. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3825
Recommended data citation: Bombaci, S. P., Russell, R. E., St. Germain, M. J., Dobony, C. A., Ford, W. M., Loeb, S. C., & Jachowski, D. S. 2021. Dataset associated with “Context dependency of disease-mediated competitive release in bat assemblages following white-nose syndrome.” Colorado State University. Libraries. http://dx.doi.org/10.25675/10217/233937
License:CC BY-NC-ND: Attribution + Noncommercial + NoDerivatives 
File format:CSV
Spatial Coverage: Four locations in the eastern United States including Fenrnow Experimental Forest, WV; Fort Pickett, VA; Fort Drum, NY; and two locations in Wisconsin.
Temporal Coverage: 2003-2017
Description:Dataset of bat acoutstic detections across four study areas in the US to study the impact of white-nose syndrome on bat community interactions. Data collected from 2003-2017 at four study locations in the United States, including Fenrnow Experimental Forest, WV; Fort Pickett, VA; Fort Drum, NY; two locations in Wisconsin.

Variable Information:
Site: Label of the sampling site where acoustic bat activity detections were recorded
Place: Study area. Fernow = Fenrnow Experimental Forest, WV; Pickett = Fort Pickett, VA; FtDrum = Fort Drum, NY; WISC = Wisconsin
DATE: Data collection date
Hour: Hour post sunset when bat activity detections were recorded
WNS: pre or post for whether the data was collected pre- or post-WNS at each study area
EPTFUS: number of detections of Eptesicus fuscus for the specified date and hour post sunset
LASBOR: number of detections of Lasiurus borealis for the specified date and hour post sunset
LASCIN: number of detections of Lasiurus cinereus for the specified date and hour post sunset
LASNOC: number of detections of Lasionycteris noctivagans for the specified date and hour post sunset
MYOLEI: number of detections of Myotis leibii for the specified date and hour post sunset
MYOLUC: number of detections of Myotis Lucifugus for the specified date and hour post sunset
MYOSEP: number of detections of Myotis septentrionalis for the specified date and hour post sunset
MYOSOD: number of detections of Myotis sodalis for the specified date and hour post sunset
PERSUB: number of detections of Perimyotis subflavus for the specified date and hour post sunset
NYCHUM: number of detections of Nycticeius humeralis for the specified date and hour post sunset
YrsWNS: Number of years pre or post-WNS
YrsWNSpos: YrsWNS variable converted to positive values only
Myotis: sum of the number of detections of all four Myotis species and Perimyotis subflavus for the specified date and hour post sunset
NonMyotis: sum of the number of detections of EPTFUS, LASBOR, LASCIN, LASNOC, and NYCHUM for the specified date and hour post sunset
NEAR_DIST_water_km: Distance to the nearest river, stream, or water body in kilometers