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de Mel RK, Moseby KE, Stewart KA, Rankin KE, Czenze ZJ. The heat is on: Thermoregulatory and evaporative cooling patterns of desert-dwelling bats. J Therm Biol 2024; 123:103919. [PMID: 39024847 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2024.103919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2024] [Revised: 07/07/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
For small endotherms inhabiting desert ecosystems, defending body temperatures (Tb) is challenging as they contend with extremely high ambient temperatures (Ta) and limited standing water. In the arid zone, bats may thermoconform whereby Tb varies with Ta, or may evaporatively cool themselves to maintain Tb < Ta. We used an integrative approach that combined both temperature telemetry and flow through respirometry to investigate the ecological and physiological strategies of lesser long-eared bats (Nyctophilus geoffroyi) in Australia's arid zone. We predicted individuals would exhibit desert-adapted thermoregulatory patterns (i.e., thermoconform to prioritise water conservation), and that females would be more conservative with their water reserves for evaporative cooling compared to males. Temperature telemetry data indicated that free-ranging N. geoffroyi were heterothermic (Tskin = 18.9-44.9 °C) during summer and thermoconformed over a wide range of temperatures, likely to conserve water and energy during the day. Experimentally, at high Tas, females maintained significantly lower Tb and resting metabolic rates, despite lower evaporative water loss (EWL) rates compared to males. Females only increased EWL at experimental Ta = 42.5 °C, significantly higher than males (40.7 °C), and higher than any bat species yet recorded. During the hottest day of this study, our estimates suggest the water required for evaporative cooling ranged from 18.3% (females) and 25.5% (males) of body mass. However, if we extrapolate these results to a recent heatwave these values increase to 36.5% and 47.3%, which are likely beyond lethal limits. It appears this population is under selective pressures to conserve water reserves and that these pressures are more pronounced in females than males. Bats in arid ecosystems are threatened by both current and future heatwaves and we recommend future conservation efforts focus on protecting current roost trees and creating artificial standing water sites near vulnerable populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruvinda K de Mel
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
| | - Katherine E Moseby
- School of Biological, Earth and Environment Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia
| | - Kathleen A Stewart
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Kate E Rankin
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Zenon J Czenze
- Centre for Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
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2
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Allegrini C, Korine C, Krasnov BR. Climatic gradients and forest composition shape bat communities in Eastern Mediterranean pine plantations. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38196112 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Biotic and abiotic factors can act as filters for determining the species composition of biological communities. We aimed to identify abiotic factors driving the assembly of bat communities in Eastern Mediterranean pine plantations along a north-south climatic gradient, as they are crucial forest habitats for the assessment and conservation of these communities. We expected that bat communities are predominantly shaped by environmental filtering. We conducted acoustic sampling in 35 pine plantations in Israel and analyzed recordings for species identification. We used the ESLTP analysis, an extension of the three-table ordination (RLQ analysis), to explore relationships between environmental characteristics, species occurrences, and functional traits of species while accounting for phylogenetic relationships between species and spatial distribution of the communities. Communities showed phylogenetic and trait clustering. Climatic conditions and forest vegetation composition shaped communities of bats, affecting the distribution of traits related to foraging behaviors, vegetation clutter, and the ability of bats to maneuver in it. Maneuverable species were associated with the northern Mediterranean climatic zone, with a scarce cover of drought-tolerant small shrubs and grassland. Fast flyers were associated with the center-south semi-arid area, with abundant drought-tolerant small shrubs and grassland. These forces might have a predominant role in the assembly of these communities, presumably due to the stressful climatic conditions of the study area. The ESLTP approach can be extended to other taxa and environments to predict species responses to disturbance and environmental changes and give insights into environmental management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Allegrini
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland, Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Carmi Korine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland, Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Boris R Krasnov
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute of Dryland, Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
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3
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Reher S, Rabarison H, Nowack J, Dausmann KH. Limited Physiological Compensation in Response to an Acute Microclimate Change in a Malagasy Bat. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.779381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rapid environmental changes are challenging for endothermic species because they have direct and immediate impacts on their physiology by affecting microclimate and fundamental resource availability. Physiological flexibility can compensate for certain ecological perturbations, but our basic understanding of how species function in a given habitat and the extent of their adaptive scope is limited. Here we studied the effect of acute, experimental microclimate change on the thermal physiology of two populations of the widespread Malagasy bat, Macronycteris commersoni. Populations of this species are found roosting under contrasting conditions, i.e., in a constant hot and humid cave or below foliage unprotected from fluctuations in ambient conditions. We exposed free-ranging individuals of each population to the respective opposite condition and thus to novel microclimate within an ecologically realistic scope while measuring metabolic rate and skin temperature. Cave bats in forest setting had a limited capacity to maintain euthermia to the point that two individuals became hypothermic when ambient temperature dropped below their commonly experienced cave temperature. Forest bats on the other hand, had difficulties to dissipate heat in the humid cave set-up. The response to heat, however, was surprisingly uniform and all bats entered torpor combined with hyperthermia at temperatures exceeding their thermoneutral zone. Thus, while we observed potential for flexible compensation of heat through “hot” torpor, both populations showed patterns suggestive of limited potential to cope with acute microclimate changes deviating from their typically occupied roosts. Our study emphasizes that intraspecific variation among populations could be misleading when assessing species’ adaptive scopes, as variation may arise from genetic adaptation, developmental plasticity or phenotypic flexibility, all of which allow for compensatory responses at differing time scales. Disentangling these mechanisms and identifying the basis of variation is vital to make accurate predictions of species’ chances for persisting in ever rapidly changing habitats and climates.
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Muñoz-Garcia A, Ben-Hamo M, Pilosof S, Williams JB, Korine C. Habitat aridity as a determinant of the trade-off between water conservation and evaporative heat loss in bats. J Comp Physiol B 2022; 192:325-333. [PMID: 35037994 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01425-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The maintenance of water balance in arid environments might represent a formidable challenge for Chiroptera, since they have high surface-to-volume ratios. In deserts, bats conserve water, for example, using daily torpor, but they also might experience episodic heat bouts, when they may need to increase total evaporative water loss (TEWL) to thermoregulate. We hypothesized that in bats, habitat aridity and its variability determine a trade-off between water conservation and thermoregulation via evaporative means. To test this hypothesis, we collated data from the literature of 22 species of bats on TEWL, body temperature and resting metabolic rate, in torpor and euthermy. We also collected data on ambient temperature (Ta) and precipitation of the locations where bats were captured, calculated an aridity index, and built an index of variability of the environment. After correcting for phylogeny, we found that, as aridity and variability of the environment increased, bats had lower values of TEWL, but the rate at which TEWL increases with Ta was higher, supporting our hypothesis. These results suggest that at high Ta there is a trade-off between water conservation and evaporative heat loss in bats. The evolution of physiological mechanisms that allow water conservation and tolerance to conditions of high Ta without access to free water might thus be crucial to explain the distribution of desert bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustí Muñoz-Garcia
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University at Mansfield, 1730 University Dr., Mansfield, OH, 44906, USA.
| | - Miriam Ben-Hamo
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Shai Pilosof
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Joseph B Williams
- Aronoff Laboratory, Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, 318 W 12th Ave., Columbus, OH, 43210, USA
| | - Carmi Korine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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5
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Reher S, Rabarison H, Montero BK, Turner JM, Dausmann KH. Disparate roost sites drive intraspecific physiological variation in a Malagasy bat. Oecologia 2021; 198:35-52. [PMID: 34951669 PMCID: PMC8803705 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05088-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Many species are widely distributed and individual populations can experience vastly different environmental conditions over seasonal and geographic scales. With such a broad ecological reality, datasets with limited spatial and temporal resolution may not accurately represent a species and could lead to poorly informed management decisions. Because physiological flexibility can help species tolerate environmental variation, we studied the physiological responses of two separate populations of Macronycteris commersoni, a bat widespread across Madagascar, in contrasting seasons. The populations roost under the following dissimilar conditions: either a hot, well-buffered cave or within open foliage, unprotected from the local weather. We found that flexible torpor patterns, used in response to prevailing ambient temperature and relative humidity, were central to keeping energy budgets balanced in both populations. While bats’ metabolic rate during torpor and rest did not differ between roosts, adjusting torpor frequency, duration and timing helped bats maintain body condition. Interestingly, the exposed forest roost induced extensive use of torpor, which exceeded the torpor frequency of overwintering bats that stayed in the cave for months and consequently minimised daytime resting energy expenditure in the forest. Our current understanding of intraspecific physiological variation is limited and physiological traits are often considered to be fixed. The results of our study therefore highlight the need for examining species at broad environmental scales to avoid underestimating a species’ full capacity for withstanding environmental variation, especially in the face of ongoing, disruptive human interference in natural habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Reher
- Functional Ecology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Hajatiana Rabarison
- Functional Ecology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.,Mention Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - B Karina Montero
- Biodiversity Research Institute, Campus of Mieres, Universidad de Oviedo, Mieres, Spain.,Animal Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - James M Turner
- Institute of Biomedical and Environmental Health Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
| | - Kathrin H Dausmann
- Functional Ecology, Institute of Zoology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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6
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McGuire LP, Fuller NW, Dzal YA, Haase CG, Klüg-Baerwald BJ, Silas KA, Plowright RK, Lausen CL, Willis CKR, Olson SH. Interspecific variation in evaporative water loss and temperature response, but not metabolic rate, among hibernating bats. Sci Rep 2021; 11:20759. [PMID: 34675252 PMCID: PMC8531132 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00266-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Hibernation is widespread among mammals in a variety of environmental contexts. However, few experimental studies consider interspecific comparisons, which may provide insight into general patterns of hibernation strategies. We studied 13 species of free-living bats, including populations spread over thousands of kilometers and diverse habitats. We measured torpid metabolic rate (TMR) and evaporative water loss (two key parameters for understanding hibernation energetics) across a range of temperatures. There was no difference in minimum TMR among species (i.e., all species achieved similarly low torpid metabolic rate) but the temperature associated with minimum TMR varied among species. The minimum defended temperature (temperature below which TMR increased) varied from 8 °C to < 2 °C among species. Conversely, evaporative water loss varied among species, with species clustered in two groups representing high and low evaporative water loss. Notably, species that have suffered population declines due to white-nose syndrome fall in the high evaporative water loss group and less affected species in the low evaporative water loss group. Documenting general patterns of physiological diversity, and associated ecological implications, contributes to broader understanding of biodiversity, and may help predict which species are at greater risk of environmental and anthropogenic stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam P McGuire
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
| | - Nathan W Fuller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
- Nongame and Rare Species Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Austin, TX, 78744, USA
| | - Yvonne A Dzal
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Catherine G Haase
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, PO Box 173520, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
- Department of Biology, Austin Peay State University, PO Box 4718, Clarkesville, TN, 37044, USA
| | - Brandon J Klüg-Baerwald
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK, S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Kirk A Silas
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Health Program, 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
| | - Raina K Plowright
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, PO Box 173520, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
| | - Cori L Lausen
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Bat Program, PO Box 606, Kaslo, BC, V0G 1M0, Canada
| | - Craig K R Willis
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Sarah H Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Health Program, 2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
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7
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Cockley A, Champagne AM, Ben-Hamo M, Pinshow B, Korine C, Muñoz-Garcia A. Lipid composition of the stratum corneum in different regions of the body of Kuhl's pipistrelle from the Negev Desert, Israel. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2021; 262:111074. [PMID: 34517130 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2021.111074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The most superficial epidermal layer in endotherms is the stratum corneum (SC), which is composed of dead corneocytes embedded in a lipid matrix with free fatty acids, cholesterol, ceramides, and cerebrosides; the lipid composition of the SC determines its permeability to water vapor. Lipids that are more polar, have longer hydrocarbon chains, and are less bulky are often packed in more ordered phase states to slow cutaneous evaporative water loss (CEWL); these lipids also resist transitions to more disordered phases at high ambient temperatures (Ta). In bats, wing and tail membranes (wing patagia and tail uropatagium, respectively) allow powered flight, but increase surface area, and hence CEWL, with implications for survival in arid environments. We captured Pipistrellus kuhlii from an arid habitat and measured the lipid composition of the SC of the plagiopatagium in the wing, the uropatagium, and the non-membranous region (NMR) of the body using thin layer chromatography and reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled with atmospheric pressure photoionization mass spectrometry. The patagia contained more cholesterol and shorter-chained ceramides, and fewer cerebrosides than the NMR, indicating that the lipid phase transition temperature in the patagia is lower than in the NMR. Thus, at moderate Ta the lipids in the SC in all body regions will remain in an ordered phase state, allowing water conservation; but as Ta increases, the lipids in the SC of the patagia will more easily transition into a disordered phase, resulting in increased CEWL from the patagia facilitating efficient heat dissipation in hot environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis Cockley
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University at Mansfield, 1760 University Dr., Mansfield, OH 44906, United States of America
| | - Alex M Champagne
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Indiana, 8600 University Blvd., Evansville, IN 47712, United States of America
| | - Miriam Ben-Hamo
- Sackler Faculty of Medicine, University of Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Berry Pinshow
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Carmi Korine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8499000 Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Agustí Muñoz-Garcia
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University at Mansfield, 1760 University Dr., Mansfield, OH 44906, United States of America.
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McGuire LP, Fuller NW, Dzal YA, Haase CG, Silas KA, Willis CKR, Olson SH, Lausen CL. Similar hibernation physiology in bats across broad geographic ranges. J Comp Physiol B 2021; 192:171-181. [PMID: 34426856 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-021-01400-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Species with broad geographic ranges may experience varied environmental conditions throughout their range leading to local adaptation. Variation among populations reflects potential adaptability or plasticity, with implications for populations impacted by disease, climate change, and other anthropogenic influences. However, behavior may counteract divergent selection among populations. We studied intraspecific variation in hibernation physiology of Myotis lucifugus (little brown myotis) and Corynorhinus townsendii (Townsend's big-eared bat), two species of bats with large geographic ranges. We studied M. lucifugus at three hibernacula which spanned a latitudinal gradient of 1500 km, and C. townsendii from 6 hibernacula spread across 1200 km latitude and 1200 km longitude. We found no difference in torpid metabolic rate among populations of either species, nor was there a difference in the effect of ambient temperature among sites. Evaporative water loss was similar among populations of both species, with the exception of one C. townsendii pairwise site difference and one M. lucifugus site that differed from the others. We suggest the general lack of geographic variation is a consequence of behavioral microhabitat selection. As volant animals, bats can travel relatively long distances in search of preferred microclimates for hibernation. Despite dramatic macroclimate differences among populations, hibernating bats are able to find preferred microclimate conditions within their range, resulting in similar selection pressures among populations spread across wide geographic ranges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liam P McGuire
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.
| | - Nathan W Fuller
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA
- Nongame and Rare Species Program, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Austin, TX, 78744, USA
| | - Yvonne A Dzal
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Catherine G Haase
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Montana State University, PO Box 173520, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA
- Department of Biology, Austin Peay State University, PO Box 4718, Clarkesville, TN, 37040, USA
| | - Kirk A Silas
- Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Craig K R Willis
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada
| | - Sarah H Olson
- Health Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Cori L Lausen
- Western Canada Bat Program, Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, PO Box 606, Kaslo, BC, V0G 1M0, Canada
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Haase CG, Fuller NW, Dzal YA, Hranac CR, Hayman DTS, Lausen CL, Silas KA, Olson SH, Plowright RK. Body mass and hibernation microclimate may predict bat susceptibility to white-nose syndrome. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:506-515. [PMID: 33437446 PMCID: PMC7790633 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
In multihost disease systems, differences in mortality between species may reflect variation in host physiology, morphology, and behavior. In systems where the pathogen can persist in the environment, microclimate conditions, and the adaptation of the host to these conditions, may also impact mortality. White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging disease of hibernating bats caused by an environmentally persistent fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans. We assessed the effects of body mass, torpid metabolic rate, evaporative water loss, and hibernaculum temperature and water vapor deficit on predicted overwinter survival of bats infected by P. destructans. We used a hibernation energetics model in an individual-based model framework to predict the probability of survival of nine bat species at eight sampling sites across North America. The model predicts time until fat exhaustion as a function of species-specific host characteristics, hibernaculum microclimate, and fungal growth. We fit a linear model to determine relationships with each variable and predicted survival and semipartial correlation coefficients to determine the major drivers in variation in bat survival. We found host body mass and hibernaculum water vapor deficit explained over half of the variation in survival with WNS across species. As previous work on the interplay between host and pathogen physiology and the environment has focused on species with narrow microclimate preferences, our view on this relationship is limited. Our results highlight some key predictors of interspecific survival among western bat species and provide a framework to assess impacts of WNS as the fungus continues to spread into western North America.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine G. Haase
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMTUSA
- Present address:
Department of BiologyAustin Peay State UniversityClarksvilleTNUSA
| | - Nathan W. Fuller
- Department of Biological SciencesTexas Tech UniversityLubbockTXUSA
- Present address:
Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmentNongame and Rare Species ProgramAustinTXUSA
| | - Yvonne A. Dzal
- Department of BiologyCentre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research (C‐FIR)University of WinnipegWinnipegMBCanada
| | - C. Reed Hranac
- Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health LaboratoryMassey UniversityPalmerston NorthNew Zealand
| | - David T. S. Hayman
- Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health LaboratoryMassey UniversityPalmerston NorthNew Zealand
| | | | | | | | - Raina K. Plowright
- Department of Microbiology and ImmunologyMontana State UniversityBozemanMTUSA
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