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Paleontology and paleoecology of guano deposits in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Chris Widga  and
Mona Colburn
Chris Widga*
Affiliation:
Geology Section, Illinois State Museum, Research and Collections Center, 1011 E. Ash St., Springfield, IL 62703, USA
Mona Colburn
Affiliation:
Geology Section, Illinois State Museum, Research and Collections Center, 1011 E. Ash St., Springfield, IL 62703, USA
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail address:cwidga@museum.state.il.us (C.Widga).
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Abstract

Bat guano deposits are common in the Mammoth Cave system (Kentucky, USA). Paleontological remains associated with these deposits are important records of local landscape changes. Recent excavations in the cave suggest that vertebrate remains in most of these deposits are dominated by Chiroptera. Although no extinct fauna were identified, the presence of a large roost of Tadarida brasiliensis in the Chief City section is beyond the northern extent of its current range suggesting that this deposit dates to an undetermined interglacial period. Stable isotope analyses of Tadarida-associated guano indicate a C3 prey signature characteristic of forested habitat. This was unexpected since this species is typically associated with open environments. Further ecomorphological analysis of wing shape trends in interglacial, Holocene, and historic-aged assemblages indicate that interglacial faunas are dominated by fast-flying, open-space taxa (T. brasiliensis) while late Holocene and Historic assemblages contain more taxa that utilized closed forest or forest gaps.

Keywords

CavesKentuckyChiropteraStable isotopesEcomorphologyBat guano
Type
Original Articles
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 83 , Issue 3 , May 2015 , pp. 427 - 436
Copyright
University of Washington

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