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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Muñoz‐Romo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa, Ancón Panamá
- Laboratorio de Zoología Aplicada Departamento de Biología Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Los Andes Mérida5101Venezuela
| | - Rachel A. Page
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Apartado 0843‐03092 Balboa, Ancón Panamá
| | - Thomas H. Kunz
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology Department of Biology Boston University Boston02215USA
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Richardson CS, Heeren T, Kunz TH. Seasonal and Sexual Variation in Metabolism, Thermoregulation, and Hormones in the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Physiol Biochem Zool 2018; 91:705-715. [DOI: 10.1086/695424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Langwig KE, Frick WF, Hoyt JR, Parise KL, Drees KP, Kunz TH, Foster JT, Kilpatrick AM. Drivers of variation in species impacts for a multi-host fungal disease of bats. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 371:rstb.2015.0456. [PMID: 28080982 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/07/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Disease can play an important role in structuring species communities because the effects of disease vary among hosts; some species are driven towards extinction, while others suffer relatively little impact. Why disease impacts vary among host species remains poorly understood for most multi-host pathogens, and factors allowing less-susceptible species to persist could be useful in conserving highly affected species. White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging fungal disease of bats, has decimated some species while sympatric and closely related species have experienced little effect. We analysed data on infection prevalence, fungal loads and environmental factors to determine how variation in infection among sympatric host species influenced the severity of WNS population impacts. Intense transmission resulted in almost uniformly high prevalence in all species. By contrast, fungal loads varied over 3 orders of magnitude among species, and explained 98% of the variation among species in disease impacts. Fungal loads increased with hibernating roosting temperatures, with bats roosting at warmer temperatures having higher fungal loads and suffering greater WNS impacts. We also found evidence of a threshold fungal load, above which the probability of mortality may increase sharply, and this threshold was similar for multiple species. This study demonstrates how differences in behavioural traits among species-in this case microclimate preferences-that may have been previously adaptive can be deleterious after the introduction of a new pathogen. Management to reduce pathogen loads rather than exposure may be an effective way of reducing disease impact and preventing species extinctions.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Langwig
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Winifred F Frick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Joseph R Hoyt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Katy L Parise
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4073, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Kevin P Drees
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4073, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - Thomas H Kunz
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Foster
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4073, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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McCracken GF, Safi K, Kunz TH, Dechmann DKN, Swartz SM, Wikelski M. Airplane tracking documents the fastest flight speeds recorded for bats. R Soc Open Sci 2016; 3:160398. [PMID: 28018618 PMCID: PMC5180116 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2016] [Accepted: 10/12/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The performance capabilities of flying animals reflect the interplay of biomechanical and physiological constraints and evolutionary innovation. Of the two extant groups of vertebrates that are capable of powered flight, birds are thought to fly more efficiently and faster than bats. However, fast-flying bat species that are adapted for flight in open airspace are similar in wing shape and appear to be similar in flight dynamics to fast-flying birds that exploit the same aerial niche. Here, we investigate flight behaviour in seven free-flying Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) and report that the maximum ground speeds achieved exceed speeds previously documented for any bat. Regional wind modelling indicates that bats adjusted flight speeds in response to winds by flying more slowly as wind support increased and flying faster when confronted with crosswinds, as demonstrated for insects, birds and other bats. Increased frequency of pauses in wing beats at faster speeds suggests that flap-gliding assists the bats' rapid flight. Our results suggest that flight performance in bats has been underappreciated and that functional differences in the flight abilities of birds and bats require re-evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary F. McCracken
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA
| | - Kamran Safi
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | | | - Dina K. N. Dechmann
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Sharon M. Swartz
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
- Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Reynolds S, Kunz TH. Changes in body composition during reproduction and postnatal growth in the little brown bat,Myotis lucifugus(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Écoscience 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.2000.11682565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Kunz TH, Wrazen JA, Burnett CD. Changes in body mass and fat reserves in pre-hibernating little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus). Écoscience 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/11956860.1998.11682443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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7
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Rex K, Czaczkes BI, Michener R, Kunz TH, Voigt CC. Specialization and omnivory in diverse mammalian assemblages. Écoscience 2015. [DOI: 10.2980/17-1-3294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Wilder AP, Kunz TH, Sorenson MD. Population genetic structure of a common host predicts the spread of white-nose syndrome, an emerging infectious disease in bats. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:5495-506. [PMID: 26407297 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2015] [Revised: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Landscape complexity influences patterns of animal dispersal, which in turn may affect both gene flow and the spread of pathogens. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an introduced fungal disease that has spread rapidly throughout eastern North America, causing massive mortality in bat populations. We tested for a relationship between the population genetic structure of the most common host, the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), and the geographic spread of WNS to date by evaluating logistic regression models of WNS risk among hibernating colonies in eastern North America. We hypothesized that risk of WNS to susceptible host colonies should increase with both geographic proximity and genetic similarity, reflecting historical connectivity, to infected colonies. Consistent with this hypothesis, inclusion of genetic distance between infected and susceptible colonies significantly improved models of disease spread, capturing heterogeneity in the spatial expansion of WNS despite low levels of genetic differentiation among eastern populations. Expanding our genetic analysis to the continental range of little brown myotis reveals strongly contrasting patterns of population structure between eastern and western North America. Genetic structure increases markedly moving westward into the northern Great Plains, beyond the current distribution of WNS. In western North America, genetic differentiation of geographically proximate populations often exceeds levels observed across the entire eastern region, suggesting infrequent and/or locally restricted dispersal, and thus relatively limited opportunities for pathogen introduction in western North America. Taken together, our analyses suggest a possibly slower future rate of spread of the WNS pathogen, at least as mediated by little brown myotis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryn P Wilder
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Thomas H Kunz
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Michael D Sorenson
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
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Langwig KE, Frick WF, Reynolds R, Parise KL, Drees KP, Hoyt JR, Cheng TL, Kunz TH, Foster JT, Kilpatrick AM. Host and pathogen ecology drive the seasonal dynamics of a fungal disease, white-nose syndrome. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20142335. [PMID: 25473016 PMCID: PMC4286034 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/06/2014] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal patterns in pathogen transmission can influence the impact of disease on populations and the speed of spatial spread. Increases in host contact rates or births drive seasonal epidemics in some systems, but other factors may occasionally override these influences. White-nose syndrome, caused by the emerging fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is spreading across North America and threatens several bat species with extinction. We examined patterns and drivers of seasonal transmission of P. destructans by measuring infection prevalence and pathogen loads in six bat species at 30 sites across the eastern United States. Bats became transiently infected in autumn, and transmission spiked in early winter when bats began hibernating. Nearly all bats in six species became infected by late winter when infection intensity peaked. In summer, despite high contact rates and a birth pulse, most bats cleared infections and prevalence dropped to zero. These data suggest the dominant driver of seasonal transmission dynamics was a change in host physiology, specifically hibernation. Our study is the first, to the best of our knowledge, to describe the seasonality of transmission in this emerging wildlife disease. The timing of infection and fungal growth resulted in maximal population impacts, but only moderate rates of spatial spread.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Langwig
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Winifred F Frick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Rick Reynolds
- Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, 517 Lee Highway, Verona, VA 24482, USA
| | - Katy L Parise
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Kevin P Drees
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Joseph R Hoyt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Tina L Cheng
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Thomas H Kunz
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Foster
- Center for Microbial Genetics and Genomics, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-4073, USA Department of Molecular, Cellular and Biomedical Science, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824, USA
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, EE Biology/EMS, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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Meyer CFJ, Aguiar LMS, Aguirre LF, Baumgarten J, Clarke FM, Cosson JF, Estrada Villegas S, Fahr J, Faria D, Furey N, Henry M, Jenkins RKB, Kunz TH, Cristina MacSwiney González M, Moya I, Pons JM, Racey PA, Rex K, Sampaio EM, Stoner KE, Voigt CC, von Staden D, Weise CD, Kalko EKV. Species undersampling in tropical bat surveys: effects on emerging biodiversity patterns. J Anim Ecol 2014; 84:113-23. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2013] [Accepted: 06/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christoph F. J. Meyer
- Centro de Biologia Ambiental; Faculdade de Ciências; Universidade de Lisboa; 1749-016 Lisboa Portugal
- Institute of Experimental Ecology; University of Ulm; Albert-Einstein-Allee 11 89069 Ulm Germany
| | - Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar
- Departamento de Zoologia; Universidade de Brasília; Brasília Distrito Federal 70910-900 Brazil
| | - Luis F. Aguirre
- Centro de Biodiversidad y Genética; Universidad Mayor de San Simón; Casilla Postal 538 Cochabamba Bolivia
- Centro de Estudios en Biología Teórica y Aplicada; Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Bolivia; Casilla Postal 9641, La Paz Bolivia
| | - Julio Baumgarten
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas; Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; CEP 45650-000 Ilhéus Bahia Brazil
| | - Frank M. Clarke
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
| | - Jean-François Cosson
- INRA; UMR CBGP; Campus International de Baillarguet CS 30016; F-34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez France
| | - Sergio Estrada Villegas
- School of Freshwater Sciences; University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; 600 E Greenfield Ave Milwaukee WI 53204 USA
| | - Jakob Fahr
- Institute of Experimental Ecology; University of Ulm; Albert-Einstein-Allee 11 89069 Ulm Germany
- Department of Migration and Immuno-ecology; Vogelwarte Radolfzell; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology; Am Obstberg 1 D-78315 Radolfzell Germany
- Division of Evolutionary Biology; Zoological Institute; TU Braunschweig; D-38106 Braunschweig Germany
| | - Deborah Faria
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas; Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz; CEP 45650-000 Ilhéus Bahia Brazil
| | - Neil Furey
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
| | - Mickaël Henry
- INRA; UR 406 Abeilles & Environnement; Site Agroparc; F-84914 Avignon France
| | - Richard K. B. Jenkins
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
- Madagasikara Voakajy; B. P. 5181 Antananarivo Madagascar
- DICE; School of Anthropology and Conservation; The University of Kent; Canterbury Kent CT2 7NR UK
- School of Environment; Natural Resources and Geography; Bangor University; Bangor LL57 2UW UK
| | - Thomas H. Kunz
- Department of Biology; Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology; Boston University; Boston MA 02215 USA
| | - M. Cristina MacSwiney González
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences; University of Aberdeen; Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
- Centro de Investigaciones Tropicales; Universidad Veracruzana; Veracruz C.P 91019 Mexico
| | - Isabel Moya
- Centro de Estudios en Biología Teórica y Aplicada; Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Bolivia; Casilla Postal 9641, La Paz Bolivia
| | - Jean-Marc Pons
- UMR 7205; Department Systématique et Evolution; Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle; 55 Rue Buffon, BP51 F-75005 Paris France
| | - Paul A. Racey
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation; University of Exeter in Cornwall; Penryn TR10 9EZ UK
| | - Katja Rex
- Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Erica M. Sampaio
- Institute of Experimental Ecology; University of Ulm; Albert-Einstein-Allee 11 89069 Ulm Germany
| | - Kathryn E. Stoner
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology; New Mexico State University; P.O. Box 30003 Las Cruces NM 88003-8003 USA
| | - Christian C. Voigt
- Leibniz-Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Str. 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Dietrich von Staden
- Institute of Experimental Ecology; University of Ulm; Albert-Einstein-Allee 11 89069 Ulm Germany
| | - Christa D. Weise
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Kofa National Wildlife Refuge 9300 E. 28th St. Yuma AZ 85365 USA
| | - Elisabeth K. V. Kalko
- Institute of Experimental Ecology; University of Ulm; Albert-Einstein-Allee 11 89069 Ulm Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; P.O. Box 0843-03092 Balboa Panama
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Southworth LO, Holick MF, Chen TC, Kunz TH. Effects of sunlight on behavior and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in two species of Old World fruit bats. Dermatoendocrinol 2014; 5:192-8. [PMID: 24494054 PMCID: PMC3897589 DOI: 10.4161/derm.24020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2012] [Revised: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 02/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED It has long been accepted that most vertebrate animals meet their vitamin D requirements from exposure of skin to UV-B (UV-B) radiation. Many factors affect this endogenous synthesis of vitamin D, including season, latitude, time of day, age, presence of hair, and degree of skin pigmentation. Most bats roost in dark places by day and forage at night, and thus have little or no potential for sunlight exposure. Notwithstanding, some tropical species are diurnal and are known to roost in the canopy of trees where they may be exposed to sunlight for up to 12 h each day. In this study, two species of captive tropical bats (both species are active at night but one, Rousettus aegyptiacus, roosts in caves, tombs, and buildings, whereas the other, Pteropus hypomelanus, roosts in trees) were evaluated for their ability to endogenously synthesize vitamin D. Following timed periods of sunlight exposure, blood plasma was analyzed using a competitive protein binding assay (CPBA) to determine concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], the major circulating vitamin D metabolite. The ability to photoconvert provitamin D (7-dehydrocholesterol, 7-DHC) in the sub-tropical winter was determined using sunlight exposed borosilicate samples of 7-DHC in hourly increments. Finally, both species were evaluated in their preference for a roost site by the release of individuals into sunlight or shade in timed trials. OUR RESULTS SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESES (1) when exposed to natural sunlight, both species exhibited an ability to endogenously synthesize vitamin D, although significant differences were found between the two, (2) photoconversion of 7-DHC to previtamin D3 is possible during the mid-day hours of a sub-tropical winter day and (3) captive, cave roosting R. aegyptiacus will choose shaded roost sites while captive P. hypomelanus will show no preference for either shade or sun.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizabeth O Southworth
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology; Department of Biology; Boston University, Boston, MA USA
| | - Michael F Holick
- Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition; Department of Medicine; Boston University School of Medicine; Boston, MA USA
| | - Tai C Chen
- Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition; Department of Medicine; Boston University School of Medicine; Boston, MA USA
| | - Thomas H Kunz
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology; Department of Biology; Boston University, Boston, MA USA
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Yates DE, Adams EM, Angelo SE, Evers DC, Schmerfeld J, Moore MS, Kunz TH, Divoll T, Edmonds ST, Perkins C, Taylor R, O'Driscoll NJ. Mercury in bats from the northeastern United States. Ecotoxicology 2014; 23:45-55. [PMID: 24271419 PMCID: PMC3884133 DOI: 10.1007/s10646-013-1150-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/30/2013] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
This study examines mercury exposure in bats across the northeast U.S. from 2005 to 2009. We collected 1,481 fur and 681 blood samples from 8 states and analyzed them for total Hg. A subset (n = 20) are also analyzed for methylmercury (MeHg). Ten species of bats from the northeast U.S. are represented in this study of which two are protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA 1973) and two other species are pending review. There are four objectives in this paper: (1) to examine correlates to differences in fur-Hg levels among all of the sampling sites, including age, sex, species, and presence of a Hg point source; (2) define the relationship between blood and fur-Hg levels and the factors that influence that relationship including age, sex, species, reproductive status, and energetic condition; (3) determine the relationships between total Hg and MeHg in five common eastern bat species; and (4) assess the distribution of Hg across bat populations in the northeast. We found total blood and fur mercury was eight times higher in bats captured near point sources compared to nonpoint sources. Blood-Hg and fur-Hg were well correlated with females on average accumulating two times more Hg in fur than males. On average fur MeHg accounted for 86 % (range 71-95 %) of the total Hg in bat fur. Considering that females had high Hg concentrations, beyond that of established levels of concern, suggests there could be negative implications for bat populations from high Hg exposure since Hg is readily transferred to pups via breast milk. Bats provide an integral part of the ecosystem and their protection is considered to be of high priority. More research is needed to determine if Hg is a stressor that is negatively impacting bat populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Yates
- BioDiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME, 04038, USA,
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Hodgkison R, Ayasse M, Häberlein C, Schulz S, Zubaid A, Mustapha WAW, Kunz TH, Kalko EKV. Fruit bats and bat fruits: the evolution of fruit scent in relation to the foraging behaviour of bats in the New and Old World tropics. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Manfred Ayasse
- Institute for Experimental Ecology; Ulm University; Ulm; Germany
| | - Christopher Häberlein
- Institute of Organic Chemistry; Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina Braunschweig; Braunschweig; Germany
| | - Stefan Schulz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry; Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina Braunschweig; Braunschweig; Germany
| | - Akbar Zubaid
- Pusat Pengajian Sains Sekitaran dan Sumber Alam; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; Bangi; Malaysia
| | - Wan Aida W. Mustapha
- Pusat Pengajian Sains Sekitaran dan Sumber Alam; Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; Bangi; Malaysia
| | - Thomas H. Kunz
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology; Boston University; Boston; Massachusetts; USA
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McCracken GF, Westbrook JK, Brown VA, Eldridge M, Federico P, Kunz TH. Bats track and exploit changes in insect pest populations. PLoS One 2012; 7:e43839. [PMID: 22952782 PMCID: PMC3432057 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 07/30/2012] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of bats or any generalist predator in suppressing prey populations depends on the predator's ability to track and exploit available prey. Using a qPCR fecal DNA assay, we document significant association between numbers of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) consuming corn earworm (CEW) moths (Helicoverpa zea) and seasonal fluctuations in CEW populations. This result is consistent with earlier research linking the bats' diet to patterns of migration, abundance, and crop infestation by important insect pests. Here we confirm opportunistic feeding on one of the world's most destructive insects and support model estimates of the bats' ecosystem services. Regression analysis of CEW consumption versus the moth's abundance at four insect trapping sites further indicates that bats track local abundance of CEW within the regional landscape. Estimates of CEW gene copies in the feces of bats are not associated with seasonal or local patterns of CEW abundance, and results of captive feeding experiments indicate that our qPCR assay does not provide a direct measure of numbers or biomass of prey consumed. Our results support growing evidence for the role of generalist predators, and bats specifically, as agents for biological control and speak to the value of conserving indigenous generalist predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gary F McCracken
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America.
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Frick WF, Stepanian PM, Kelly JF, Howard KW, Kuster CM, Kunz TH, Chilson PB. Climate and weather impact timing of emergence of bats. PLoS One 2012; 7:e42737. [PMID: 22876331 PMCID: PMC3411708 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2012] [Accepted: 07/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Interest in forecasting impacts of climate change have heightened attention in recent decades to how animals respond to variation in climate and weather patterns. One difficulty in determining animal response to climate variation is lack of long-term datasets that record animal behaviors over decadal scales. We used radar observations from the national NEXRAD network of Doppler weather radars to measure how group behavior in a colonially-roosting bat species responded to annual variation in climate and daily variation in weather over the past 11 years. Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) form dense aggregations in cave roosts in Texas. These bats emerge from caves daily to forage at high altitudes, which makes them detectable with Doppler weather radars. Timing of emergence in bats is often viewed as an adaptive trade-off between emerging early and risking predation or increased competition and emerging late which restricts foraging opportunities. We used timing of emergence from five maternity colonies of Brazilian free-tailed bats in south-central Texas during the peak lactation period (15 June–15 July) to determine whether emergence behavior was associated with summer drought conditions and daily temperatures. Bats emerged significantly earlier during years with extreme drought conditions than during moist years. Bats emerged later on days with high surface temperatures in both dry and moist years, but there was no relationship between surface temperatures and timing of emergence in summers with normal moisture levels. We conclude that emergence behavior is a flexible animal response to climate and weather conditions and may be a useful indicator for monitoring animal response to long-term shifts in climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winifred F Frick
- University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America.
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Chilson PB, Frick WF, Stepanian PM, Shipley JR, Kunz TH, Kelly JF. Estimating animal densities in the aerosphere using weather radar: ToZor not toZ? Ecosphere 2012. [DOI: 10.1890/es12-00027.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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18
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Ramoni-Perazzi P, Muñoz-Romo M, Chaves LF, Kunz TH. Range prediction for the Giant Fruit-Eating Bat,Artibeus amplus(Phyllostomidae: Stenodermatinae) in South America. Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/01650521.2012.679485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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19
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Langwig KE, Frick WF, Bried JT, Hicks AC, Kunz TH, Kilpatrick AM. Sociality, density-dependence and microclimates determine the persistence of populations suffering from a novel fungal disease, white-nose syndrome. Ecol Lett 2012; 15:1050-7. [PMID: 22747672 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01829.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 238] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2012] [Revised: 05/08/2012] [Accepted: 06/05/2012] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Disease has caused striking declines in wildlife and threatens numerous species with extinction. Theory suggests that the ecology and density-dependence of transmission dynamics can determine the probability of disease-caused extinction, but few empirical studies have simultaneously examined multiple factors influencing disease impact. We show, in hibernating bats infected with Geomyces destructans, that impacts of disease on solitary species were lower in smaller populations, whereas in socially gregarious species declines were equally severe in populations spanning four orders of magnitude. However, as these gregarious species declined, we observed decreases in social group size that reduced the likelihood of extinction. In addition, disease impacts in these species increased with humidity and temperature such that the coldest and driest roosts provided initial refuge from disease. These results expand our theoretical framework and provide an empirical basis for determining which host species are likely to be driven extinct while management action is still possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kate E Langwig
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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20
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Muñoz-Romo M, Nielsen LT, Nassar JM, Kunz TH. Chemical Composition of the Substances from Dorsal Patches of Males of the CuraÇAoan Long-Nosed Bat,Leptonycteris curasoae(Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae). Acta Chiropterologica 2012. [DOI: 10.3161/150811012x654411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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21
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Reichard JD, Kunz TH, Keller C, Prajapati SI. Vascular Contrast Enhanced Micro-CT Imaging of “Radiators” in the Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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22
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Kelly JF, Shipley JR, Chilson PB, Howard KW, Frick WF, Kunz TH. Quantifying animal phenology in the aerosphere at a continental scale using NEXRAD weather radars. Ecosphere 2012. [DOI: 10.1890/es11-00257.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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23
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Muñoz-Garcia A, Ro J, Reichard JD, Kunz TH, Williams JB. Cutaneous water loss and lipids of the stratum corneum in two syntopic species of bats. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2012; 161:208-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2011.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Revised: 10/26/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
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24
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Reichard JD, Kunz TH, Keller C, Prajapati SI. Vascular Contrast Enhanced Micro-CT Imaging of “Radiators” in the Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida Brasiliensis). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 295:563-6. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2011] [Accepted: 11/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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25
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Fletcher C, Akbar Z, Kunz TH. Fruit diet of frugivorous bats (Cynopterus brachyotis and Cynopterus horsfieldii) in tropical hill forests of Peninsular Malaysia. MAMMALIA 2012. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2011-0107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Abstract
Human activities have negatively impacted many species, particularly those with unique traits that restrict their use of resources and conditions to specific habitats. Unfortunately, few studies have been able to isolate the individual and combined effects of different threats on population persistence in a natural setting, since not all organisms can be associated with discrete habitat features occurring over limited spatial scales. We present the results of a field study that examines the short-term effects of roost loss in a specialist bat using a conspicuous, easily modified resource. We mimicked roost loss in the natural habitat and monitored individuals before and after the perturbation to determine patterns of resource use, spatial movements, and group stability. Our study focused on the disc-winged bat Thyroptera tricolor, a species highly morphologically specialized for roosting in the developing furled leaves of members of the order Zingiberales. We found that the number of species used for roosting increased, that home range size increased (before: mean 0.14±SD 0.08 ha; after: 0.73±0.68 ha), and that mean association indices decreased (before: 0.95±0.10; after: 0.77±0.18) once the roosting habitat was removed. These results demonstrate that the removal of roosting resources is associated with a decrease in roost-site preferences or selectivity, an increase in mobility of individuals, and a decrease in social cohesion. These responses may reduce fitness by potentially increasing energetic expenditure, predator exposure, and a decrease in cooperative interactions. Despite these potential risks, individuals never used roost-sites other than developing furled leaves, suggesting an extreme specialization that could ultimately jeopardize the long-term persistence of this species' local populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloriana Chaverri
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Rossiter SJ, Zubaid A, Mohd-Adnan A, Struebig MJ, Kunz TH, Gopal S, Petit EJ, Kingston T. Social organization and genetic structure: insights from codistributed bat populations. Mol Ecol 2011; 21:647-61. [PMID: 22168272 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2011.05391.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The impact of ecology and social organization on genetic structure at landscape spatial scales, where gene dynamics shape evolution as well as determine susceptibility to habitat fragmentation, is poorly understood. Attempts to assess these effects must take into account the potentially confounding effects of history. We used microsatellites to compare genetic structure in seven bat species with contrasting patterns of roosting ecology and social organization, all of which are codistributed in an ancient forest habitat that has been exceptionally buffered from radical habitat shifts. Over one thousand individuals were captured at foraging sites and genotyped at polymorphic microsatellite loci. Analyses of spatially explicit genotype data revealed interspecies differences in the extent of movement and gene flow and genetic structure across continuous intact forest. Highest positive genetic structure was observed in tree-roosting taxa that roost either alone or in small groups. By comparison, a complete absence of genetic autocorrelation was noted in the cave-roosting colonial species across the study area. Our results thus reveal measurable interspecies differences in the natural limits of gene flow in an unmodified habitat, which we attribute to contrasting roosting ecology and social organization. The consequences of ecology and behaviour for gene flow have important implications for conservation. In particular, tree-roosting species characterized by lower vagility and thus gene flow will be disproportionally impacted by landscape-scale forest clearance and habitat fragmentation, which are prevalent in the study region. Our method also highlights the usefulness of rapid sampling of foraging bats for assaying genetic structure, particularly where roosting sites are not always known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen J Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
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28
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Moore MS, Reichard JD, Murtha TD, Zahedi B, Fallier RM, Kunz TH. Specific alterations in complement protein activity of little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) hibernating in white-nose syndrome affected sites. PLoS One 2011; 6:e27430. [PMID: 22140440 PMCID: PMC3227581 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2011] [Accepted: 10/17/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is the most devastating condition ever reported for hibernating bats, causing widespread mortality in the northeastern United States. The syndrome is characterized by cutaneous lesions caused by a recently identified psychrophilic and keratinophylic fungus (Geomyces destructans), depleted fat reserves, atypical behavior, and damage to wings; however, the proximate cause of mortality is still uncertain. To assess relative levels of immunocompetence in bats hibernating in WNS-affected sites compared with levels in unaffected bats, we describe blood plasma complement protein activity in hibernating little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) based on microbicidal competence assays using Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Blood plasma from bats collected during mid-hibernation at WNS-affected sites had higher bactericidal ability against E. coli and S. aureus, but lower fungicidal ability against C. albicans when compared with blood plasma from bats collected at unaffected sites. Within affected sites during mid-hibernation, we observed no difference in microbicidal ability between bats displaying obvious fungal infections compared to those without. Bactericidal ability against E. coli decreased significantly as hibernation progressed in bats collected from an affected site. Bactericidal ability against E. coli and fungicidal ability against C. albicans were positively correlated with body mass index (BMI) during late hibernation. We also compared complement activity against the three microbes within individuals and found that the ability of blood plasma from hibernating M. lucifugus to lyse microbial cells differed as follows: E. coli>S. aureus>C. albicans. Overall, bats affected by WNS experience both relatively elevated and reduced innate immune responses depending on the microbe tested, although the cause of observed immunological changes remains unknown. Additionally, considerable trade-offs may exist between energy conservation and immunological responses. Relationships between immune activity and torpor, including associated energy expenditure, are likely critical components in the development of WNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianne S Moore
- Department of Biology, Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
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29
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Murray SW, Campbell P, Kingston T, Zubaid A, Francis CM, Kunz TH. Molecular phylogeny of hipposiderid bats from Southeast Asia and evidence of cryptic diversity. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2011; 62:597-611. [PMID: 22079552 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2011] [Revised: 10/04/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Old World leaf-nosed bats (Hipposideridae) are among the most widespread and ecologically diverse groups of insectivorous bats in the Old World tropics. However, phylogenetic relationships in Hipposideridae are poorly resolved at both the generic and species levels, and deep genetic divergence within several Southeast Asian species suggests that current taxonomy underestimates hipposiderid diversity in this region. We used mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data to conduct the first extensive molecular phylogenetic analysis of Southeast Asian hipposiderid bats. Inclusion of multiple samples per taxon allowed testing for evidence of evolutionarily distinct lineages within taxa currently defined as single species. In contrast to earlier phylogenies based on morphometrics, molecular data support monophyly of Hipposideros, but are ambiguous regarding the monophyly of Hipposideridae. With a few exceptions, molecular data also support currently recognized species groups classified by qualitative morphological characters. Widespread paraphyly and polyphyly within many currently recognized species of Hipposideros indicates that evolutionary diversity in the genus is underrepresented by current nomenclature. Comparison of available morphological and echolocation data suggest that both geographic isolation and ecological selection have contributed to the diversification of Southeast Asian hipposiderid bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan W Murray
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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30
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31
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Puechmaille SJ, Frick WF, Kunz TH, Racey PA, Voigt CC, Wibbelt G, Teeling EC. White-nose syndrome: is this emerging disease a threat to European bats? Trends Ecol Evol 2011; 26:570-6. [PMID: 21835492 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2011.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2011] [Revised: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a newly emergent disease that potentially threatens all temperate bat species. A recently identified fungus, Geomyces destructans, is the most likely causative agent of this disease. Until 2009, WNS and G. destructans were exclusively known from North America, but recent studies have confirmed this fungus is also present in Europe. We assembled an international WNS consortium of 67 scientists from 29 countries and identified the most important research and conservation priorities to assess the risk of WNS to European bats. Here, we review what is known about WNS and G. destructans and detail the conservation and research recommendations aimed at understanding and containing this emerging infectious disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien J Puechmaille
- UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
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Boyles JG, Cryan PM, McCracken GF, Kunz TH. Concerns About Extrapolating Right Off the Bat—Response. Science 2011. [DOI: 10.1126/science.333.6040.287-b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Justin G. Boyles
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa
| | - Paul M. Cryan
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Gary F. McCracken
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
| | - Thomas H. Kunz
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
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Senda A, Kobayashi R, Fukuda K, Saito T, Hood WR, Kunz TH, Oftedal OT, Urashima T. Chemical characterization of milk oligosaccharides of the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae). Anim Sci J 2011; 82:782-6. [PMID: 22111635 DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-0929.2011.00906.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Although a considerable amount of information has accumulated about oligosaccharides in the milk and colostrum of representatives of various mammalian orders, nothing is so far known concerning these sugars in the milk of any bat species (order Chiroptera). In this study, we determined that the following oligosaccharides occur in milk of the island flying fox, Pteropus hypomelanus (Chiroptera: Pteropidae): Gal(α1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (isoglobotriose), Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (lacto-N-neotetraose), Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-3)[Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-6)]Gal(β1-4)Glc (lacto-N-neohexaose) and Neu5Gc(α2-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (3'-NGc-SL). However, lactose was found to be the dominant saccharide in this milk, as in most eutherian mammals. The biologic importance of oligosaccharides in Chiropteran milks warrants further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akitsugu Senda
- Graduate School of Food Hygiene, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
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Abstract
Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained from the environment that increase human well-being. Economic valuation is conducted by measuring the human welfare gains or losses that result from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Bats have long been postulated to play important roles in arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination; however, only recently have these ecosystem services begun to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, we review the available literature on the ecological and economic impact of ecosystem services provided by bats. We describe dietary preferences, foraging behaviors, adaptations, and phylogenetic histories of insectivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous bats worldwide in the context of their respective ecosystem services. For each trophic ensemble, we discuss the consequences of these ecological interactions on both natural and agricultural systems. Throughout this review, we highlight the research needed to fully determine the ecosystem services in question. Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of economic valuation of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, few studies estimating the economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats have been conducted to date; however, we outline a framework that could be used in future studies to more fully address this question. Consumptive goods provided by bats, such as food and guano, are often exchanged in markets where the market price indicates an economic value. Nonmarket valuation methods can be used to estimate the economic value of nonconsumptive services, including inputs to agricultural production and recreational activities. Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas H Kunz
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
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Fuller NW, Reichard JD, Nabhan ML, Fellows SR, Pepin LC, Kunz TH. Free-ranging little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) heal from wing damage associated with white-nose syndrome. Ecohealth 2011; 8:154-62. [PMID: 21922344 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-011-0705-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2011] [Revised: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 08/16/2011] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is having an unprecedented impact on hibernating bat populations in the eastern United States. While most studies have focused on widespread mortality observed at winter hibernacula, few have examined the consequences of wing damage that has been observed among those bats that survive hibernation. Given that WNS-related wing damage may lead to life-threatening changes in wing function, we tested the hypothesis that reduced abundance of free-ranging little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) with severe wing damage as the summer progresses is due to healing of wing tissue. Photographs of captured and recaptured adult females were examined for wing damage and healing rates were calculated for each category of wing damage index (WDI = 0-3). We found that free-ranging bats with severe wing damage were able to heal to a lower WDI score within 2 weeks. Bats with the most severe wing damage had faster healing rates than did individuals with less damage. We also found a significant relationship between body condition and WDI for adult females captured in the early weeks of the active season. Our results support the hypothesis that some bats can heal from severe wing damage during the active season, and thus may not experience increased mortality associated with reduced functions of wings. We urge researchers and wildlife managers to use caution when interpreting data on WDI to assess the impact of WNS on bat populations, especially during the later months of the active season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Fuller
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Str, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
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Muñoz-Romo M, Burgos JF, Kunz TH. The Dorsal Patch of Males of the Curaçaoan Long-Nosed bat,Leptonycteris curasoae(Phyllostomidae: Glossophaginae) as a Visual Signal. Acta Chiropterologica 2011. [DOI: 10.3161/150811011x578769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Wilder AP, Frick WF, Langwig KE, Kunz TH. Risk factors associated with mortality from white-nose syndrome among hibernating bat colonies. Biol Lett 2011; 7:950-3. [PMID: 21632616 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2011.0355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats. First observed in a New York cave in 2006, mortality associated with WNS rapidly appeared in hibernacula across the northeastern United States. We used yearly presence-absence data on WNS-related mortality among hibernating bat colonies in the Northeast to determine factors influencing its spread. We evaluated hazard models to test hypotheses about the association between the timing of mortality and colony-level covariates, such as distance from the first WNS-affected site, colony size, species diversity, species composition and type of hibernaculum (cave or mine). Distance to origin and colony size had the greatest effects on WNS hazard over the range of observations; the type of hibernaculum and species composition had weaker effects. The distance effect showed a temporal decrease in magnitude, consistent with the pattern of an expanding epizootic. Large, cave-dwelling bat colonies with high proportions of Myotis lucifugus or other species that seek humid microclimates tended to experience early mortality. Our results suggest that the timing of mortality from WNS is largely dependent on colony location, and large colonies tend to be first in an area to experience high mortality associated with WNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryn P Wilder
- Department of Biology, Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Kiesecker JM, Evans JS, Fargione J, Doherty K, Foresman KR, Kunz TH, Naugle D, Nibbelink NP, Niemuth ND. Win-win for wind and wildlife: a vision to facilitate sustainable development. PLoS One 2011; 6:e17566. [PMID: 21533285 PMCID: PMC3076357 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2010] [Accepted: 02/03/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Wind energy offers the potential to reduce carbon emissions while increasing energy independence and bolstering economic development. However, wind energy has a larger land footprint per Gigawatt (GW) than most other forms of energy production, making appropriate siting and mitigation particularly important. Species that require large unfragmented habitats and those known to avoid vertical structures are particularly at risk from wind development. Developing energy on disturbed lands rather than placing new developments within large and intact habitats would reduce cumulative impacts to wildlife. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that it will take 241 GW of terrestrial based wind development on approximately 5 million hectares to reach 20% electricity production for the U.S. by 2030. We estimate there are ∼7,700 GW of potential wind energy available across the U.S., with ∼3,500 GW on disturbed lands. In addition, a disturbance-focused development strategy would avert the development of ∼2.3 million hectares of undisturbed lands while generating the same amount of energy as development based solely on maximizing wind potential. Wind subsidies targeted at favoring low-impact developments and creating avoidance and mitigation requirements that raise the costs for projects impacting sensitive lands could improve public value for both wind energy and biodiversity conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph M Kiesecker
- Global Conservation Lands Program, The Nature Conservancy, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.
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Allen LC, Turmelle AS, Widmaier EP, Hristov NI, McCracken GF, Kunz TH. Variation in physiological stress between bridge- and cave-roosting Brazilian free-tailed bats. Conserv Biol 2011; 25:374-381. [PMID: 21175827 DOI: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2010.01624.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Since the late 1980s, Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) have increasingly used bridges as roosts in the southern United States. We examined differences in blood cortisol levels, body condition, and parasite load, as measures of physiological stress in bats roosting in bridges and bats roosting in caves. We collected data during three periods, coinciding with female phases of reproduction. For all measures, bats were captured during the nightly emergence from the roost and immediately sampled. Cortisol levels were significantly higher during pregnancy and lactation and in individuals with lower body-condition scores (length of forearm to mass ratio) and significantly higher in bats roosting in caves than in those roosting in bridges. Thus, we concluded that individuals of this species that roost in bridges are not chronically stressed and seem to be unaffected by human activities present at bridges. This is a rare documented instance where a human-dominated environment does not appear to be adversely affecting the physiological health of a free-ranging animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louise C Allen
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Bratsch S, Wertz N, Chaloner K, Kunz TH, Butler JE. The little brown bat, M. lucifugus, displays a highly diverse V H, D H and J H repertoire but little evidence of somatic hypermutation. Dev Comp Immunol 2011; 35:421-430. [PMID: 20547175 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2010.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2010] [Revised: 06/02/2010] [Accepted: 06/04/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Myotis lucifugus populations in Northeastern US are being decimated by a fungal disease. Since almost nothing is known about the immune system of bats, we are characterizing the immunoglobulin genes of bats. We show that M. lucifugus has a diverse V(H) gene repertoire comprised of five of the seven human V(H) gene families and an estimated 236V(H)3 genes. 95% of these germline VH3 genes differ in FR3. A comparison of 67 expressed V(H)3 genes with 75 germline V(H)3 genes revealed a mutation frequency similar to fetal piglets never exposed to environmental antigens. Analysis of CDR3 regions identified at least 13 putative J(H) segments and a large D(H) repertoire. The low mutation frequency, highly diverse V(H), D(H), and J(H) germline repertoire suggests that this species may rely more on combinatorial and junctional diversity than on somatic hypermutation raising questions about the ability of M. lucifugus to respond rapidly to emerging pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bratsch
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls, WI, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin G Boyles
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
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Meyer CFJ, Aguiar LMS, Aguirre LF, Baumgarten J, Clarke FM, Cosson JF, Villegas SE, Fahr J, Faria D, Furey N, Henry M, Hodgkison R, Jenkins RKB, Jung KG, Kingston T, Kunz TH, Cristina MacSwiney Gonzalez M, Moya I, Patterson BD, Pons JM, Racey PA, Rex K, Sampaio EM, Solari S, Stoner KE, Voigt CC, von Staden D, Weise CD, Kalko EKV. Accounting for detectability improves estimates of species richness in tropical bat surveys. J Appl Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.01976.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Butler JE, Wertz N, Zhao Y, Zhang S, Bao Y, Bratsch S, Kunz TH, Whitaker JO, Schountz T. The two suborders of chiropterans have the canonical heavy-chain immunoglobulin (Ig) gene repertoire of eutherian mammals. Dev Comp Immunol 2011; 35:273-284. [PMID: 20816694 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2010.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2010] [Revised: 08/24/2010] [Accepted: 08/25/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Bats comprise 20% of all mammals, yet little is known about their immune system and virtually nothing about their immunoglobulin genes. We show that four different bat species transcribe genes encoding IgM, IgE, IgA and IgG subclasses, the latter which have diversified after speciation; the canonical pattern for eutherian mammals. IgD transcripts were only recovered from insectivorous bats and were comprised of CH1, CH3 and two hinge exons; the second hinge exon was fused to CH3. IgA in all species resembles human IgA2 with the putative cysteine forming the bridge to the light chain found at position 77. Sequence comparisons yielded no evidence for a diphyletic origin of the suborders. Bats show no close similarity to another mammalian order; the strongest association was with carnivores. Data reveal that CH diversity and VDJ and CDR3 organization are similar to other eutherian mammals, although the expressed VH3 family repertoire was unusually diverse.
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Affiliation(s)
- John E Butler
- Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
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Li L, Shan T, Soji OB, Alam MM, Kunz TH, Zaidi SZ, Delwart E. Possible cross-species transmission of circoviruses and cycloviruses among farm animals. J Gen Virol 2010; 92:768-72. [PMID: 21177928 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.028704-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Circoviruses consist of highly prevalent and genetically diverse porcine and avian pathogens. The genomes of cycloviruses, a proposed new genus in the family Circoviridae, were recently identified in human and chimpanzee faeces. Here, six cyclovirus and four circovirus genomes from the tissues of chickens, goats, cows, and a bat were amplified and sequenced using rolling-circle amplification and inverse PCR. A goat cyclovirus was nearly identical to a cyclovirus from a cow. USA beef contained circoviruses with >99% similarity to porcine circovirus 2b. Circoviruses in chicken were related to those of pigeons. The close genetic similarity of a subset of cycloviruses and circoviruses replicating in distinct animal species may reflect recent cross-species transmissions. Further studies will be required to determine the impact of these highly prevalent infections on the health of farm animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Li
- Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA
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Abstract
One of the most widely distributed bats in the New World, the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) exhibits well-documented geographic variation in morphology and life history traits, suggesting the potential for significant phylogeographic structure as well as adaptive differentiation among populations. In a pattern broadly consistent with morphologically defined subspecies, we found deeply divergent mitochondrial lineages restricted to different geographic regions. In contrast, sequence data from two nuclear loci suggest a general lack of regional genetic structure except for peripheral populations in the Caribbean and Mexico/South America. Coalescent analyses suggest that the striking difference in population structure between genomes cannot be attributed solely to different rates of lineage sorting, but is likely due to male-mediated gene flow homogenizing nuclear genetic diversity across most of the continental range. Despite this ongoing gene flow, selection has apparently been effective in producing and maintaining adaptive differentiation among populations, while strong female site fidelity, maintained over the course of millions of years, has produced remarkably deep divergence among geographically isolated matrilines. Our results highlight the importance of evaluating multiple genetic markers for a more complete understanding of population structure and history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy S Turmelle
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Hood WR, Oftedal OT, Kunz TH. Is tissue maturation necessary for flight? Changes in body composition during postnatal development in the big brown bat. J Comp Physiol B 2010; 181:423-35. [DOI: 10.1007/s00360-010-0521-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2010] [Revised: 09/13/2010] [Accepted: 09/22/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Reichard JD, Fellows SR, Frank AJ, Kunz TH. Thermoregulation during flight: body temperature and sensible heat transfer in free-ranging Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis). Physiol Biochem Zool 2010; 83:885-97. [PMID: 21034204 DOI: 10.1086/657253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Bat wings are important for thermoregulation, but their role in heat balance during flight is largely unknown. More than 80% of the energy consumed during flight generates heat as a by-product, and thus it is expected that bat wings should dissipate large amounts of heat to prevent hyperthermia. We measured rectal (T(r)) and surface (T(s)) temperatures of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) as they emerged from and returned to their daytime roosts and calculated sensible heat transfer for different body regions (head, body, wings, and tail membrane). Bats' T(r) decreased from 36.8°C during emergence flights to 34.4°C during returns, and T(s) scaled positively with ambient temperature (T(a)). Total radiative heat loss from bats was significantly greater for a radiative sink to the night sky than for a sink with temperature equal to T(a). We found that free-ranging Brazilian free-tailed bats, on average, do not dissipate heat from their wings by convection but instead dissipate radiative heat (L) to the cloudless night sky during flight ([Formula: see text] W). However, within the range of T(a) measured in this study, T. brasiliensis experienced net heat loss between evening emergence and return flights. Regional hypothermia reduces heat loss from wings that are exposed to potentially high convective fluxes. Additional research is needed to establish the role of wings in evaporative cooling during flight in bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan D Reichard
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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Lindner DL, Gargas A, Lorch JM, Banik MT, Glaeser J, Kunz TH, Blehert DS. DNA-based detection of the fungal pathogen Geomyces destructans in soils from bat hibernacula. Mycologia 2010; 103:241-6. [PMID: 20952799 DOI: 10.3852/10-262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging disease causing unprecedented morbidity and mortality among bats in eastern North America. The disease is characterized by cutaneous infection of hibernating bats by the psychrophilic fungus Geomyces destructans. Detection of G. destructans in environments occupied by bats will be critical for WNS surveillance, management and characterization of the fungal lifecycle. We initiated an rRNA gene region-based molecular survey to characterize the distribution of G. destructans in soil samples collected from bat hibernacula in the eastern United States with an existing PCR test. Although this test did not specifically detect G. destructans in soil samples based on a presence/absence metric, it did favor amplification of DNA from putative Geomyces species. Cloning and sequencing of PCR products amplified from 24 soil samples revealed 74 unique sequence variants representing 12 clades. Clones with exact sequence matches to G. destructans were identified in three of 19 soil samples from hibernacula in states where WNS is known to occur. Geomyces destructans was not identified in an additional five samples collected outside the region where WNS has been documented. This study highlights the diversity of putative Geomyces spp. in soil from bat hibernacula and indicates that further research is needed to better define the taxonomy of this genus and to develop enhanced diagnostic tests for rapid and specific detection of G. destructans in environmental samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Lindner
- US Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Center for Forest Mycology Research, One Gifford Pinchot Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53726, USA
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Frick WF, Pollock JF, Hicks AC, Langwig KE, Reynolds DS, Turner GG, Butchkoski CM, Kunz TH. An emerging disease causes regional population collapse of a common North American bat species. Science 2010; 329:679-82. [PMID: 20689016 DOI: 10.1126/science.1188594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 560] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging disease affecting hibernating bats in eastern North America that causes mass mortality and precipitous population declines in winter hibernacula. First discovered in 2006 in New York State, WNS is spreading rapidly across eastern North America and currently affects seven species. Mortality associated with WNS is causing a regional population collapse and is predicted to lead to regional extinction of the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), previously one of the most common bat species in North America. Novel diseases can have serious impacts on naïve wildlife populations, which in turn can have substantial impacts on ecosystem integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winifred F Frick
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology (CECB), Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Street, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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Gillam EH, Hristov NI, Kunz TH, McCracken GF. Echolocation behavior of Brazilian free-tailed bats during dense emergence flights. J Mammal 2010. [DOI: 10.1644/09-mamm-a-302.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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