The population of Indiana bats, for example, has declined 80 percent in Missouri since 1983. They are digital devices that measure temperature and humidity. Installed inside caves, the data loggers track the microclimate on cave walls-near where bats hibernate and raise their young. Every six months, Clawson or Elliott returns to the caves and downloads data from the data logger directly into a laptop computer. They can instantly graph climatic conditions in the cave and begin to discover how climate affects the bats.
Bats are very sensitive to disturbance.
With data loggers, we get a great deal of data without disturbing the bats during hibernation' says Clawson. We used to get just one reading, on one day, in one spot in the cave. The data loggers give us continuous data, and we'll begin to see long-term trends and changes in their habitat. In addition to using new technology for research, Clawson and Elliott are working to keep people out of sensitive caves and to educate Missourians about caves. Disturbance by humans is a big threat to the bats' survival.