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Vescera C, Van Vyve C, Smits Q, Michaux JR. All-you-can-eat buffet: A spider-specialized bat species (Myotis emarginatus) turns into a pest fly eater around cattle. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302028. [PMID: 38718094 PMCID: PMC11078406 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining the dietary spectrum of European insectivorous bats over time is the cornerstone of their conservation, as it will aid our understanding of foraging behavior plasticity in response to plummeting insect populations. Despite the global decline in insects, a restricted number of arthropod pest species thrive. Yet past research has overlooked the potential of European bats to suppress pests harmful to woodlands or livestock, in spite of their economic relevance. Here we investigated the diet composition, its breeding season variations and pest consumption of an insectivorous bat species (Myotis emarginatus), at the northern edge of its range (Wallonia, Belgium). We also explored the prey ecology to gain insight into the hunting strategies and foraging habitats of this bat species. We used DNA metabarcoding to amplify two COI markers within 195 bat droppings collected in June, July and August, thereby identifying 512 prey taxa predominated by Diptera, Araneae and Lepidoptera. Overall, in 97% of the samples we detected at least one of the 58 potential pest taxa, 41 of which targeting trees. The June samples were marked by a diet rich in orb-weaver spiders, in accordance with the archetypal diet of M. emarginatus bats. However, during the highly energy demanding July-August parturition and lactation period, roughly 55% of the dropping samples contained two cattle fly pests (Stomoxys calcitrans and Musca domestica). Moreover, among the 88 Diptera species preyed upon by M. emarginatus in July and August, these flies accounted for around 50% of the taxa occurrences. This plasticity-the switch from a spider-rich to a fly-rich diet-seems providential considering the dramatic ongoing drop in insect populations but this involves ensuring bat-friendly cattle farming. Our results revealed that bats widely consume pest entomofauna, thereby highlighting their potential role as allies of forest managers and farmers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Vescera
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Quentin Smits
- Département de l’Etude du Milieu Naturel et Agricole (DEMNA), Service Public de Wallonie (SPW), Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Johan R. Michaux
- Conservation Genetics Laboratory, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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2
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Aihartza J, Vallejo N, Aldasoro M, García-Mudarra JL, Goiti U, Nogueras J, Ibáñez C. Aerospace-foraging bats eat seasonably across varying habitats. Sci Rep 2023; 13:19576. [PMID: 37950015 PMCID: PMC10638376 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-46939-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent research has confirmed the efficiency of insectivorous bats as pest suppressors, underlining the ecological services they offer in agroecosystems. Therefore, some efforts try to enhance bat foraging in agricultural landscapes by acting upon environmental factors favouring them. In this study, we monitored a Miniopterus schreibersii colony, in the southern Iberian Peninsula. We intensively sampled their faeces and analysed them by metabarcoding to describe how the bent-winged bat diet would change with time, and to test whether their most-consumed prey would seasonally depend on different landscapes or habitats. Our results confirm that M. schreibersii are selective opportunist predators of moths, dipterans, mayflies, and other fluttering insects, shifting their diet to temporary peaks of prey availability in their foraging range, including both pest and non-pest insects. Supporting our hypothesis, throughout the year, M. schreibersii consume insects linked to diverse open habitats, including wetlands, grassland, diverse croplands, and woodland. The importance of each prey habitat varies seasonally, depending on their insect phenology, making bats indirectly dependent on a diverse landscape as their primary prey source. Bats' predation upon pest insects is quantitatively high, consuming around 1610 kg in 5 months, of which 1467 kg correspond to ten species. So, their suppression effect may be relevant, mainly in patchy heterogeneous landscapes, where bats' foraging may concentrate in successive outbursts of pests, affecting different crops or woodlands. Our results stress that to take advantage of the ecosystem services of bats or other generalist insectivores, keeping the environmental conditions they require to thrive, particularly a heterogeneous landscape within the colony's foraging area, is crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joxerra Aihartza
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain.
| | - Nerea Vallejo
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain
| | - Miren Aldasoro
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain
| | | | - Urtzi Goiti
- Department of Zoology and Animal Cell Biology, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Sarriena s/n, 48940, Leioa, The Basque Country, Spain
| | - Jesus Nogueras
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), P.O. Box 1056, 41080, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Carlos Ibáñez
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), P.O. Box 1056, 41080, Sevilla, Spain
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3
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Tuneu-Corral C, Puig-Montserrat X, Riba-Bertolín D, Russo D, Rebelo H, Cabeza M, López-Baucells A. Pest suppression by bats and management strategies to favour it: a global review. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1564-1582. [PMID: 37157976 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Fighting insect pests is a major challenge for agriculture worldwide, and biological control and integrated pest management constitute well-recognised, cost-effective ways to prevent and overcome this problem. Bats are important arthropod predators globally and, in recent decades, an increasing number of studies have focused on the role of bats as natural enemies of agricultural pests. This review assesses the state of knowledge of the ecosystem services provided by bats as pest consumers at a global level and provides recommendations that may favour the efficiency of pest predation by bats. Through a systematic review, we assess evidence for predation, the top-down effect of bats on crops and the economic value of ecosystem services these mammals provide, describing the different methodological approaches used in a total of 66 reviewed articles and 18 agroecosystem types. We also provide a list of detailed conservation measures and management recommendations found in the scientific literature that may favour the delivery of this important ecosystem service, including actions aimed at restoring bat populations in agroecosystems. The most frequent recommendations include increasing habitat heterogeneity, providing additional roosts, and implementing laws to protect bats and reduce agrochemical use. However, very little evidence is available on the direct consequences of these practices on bat insectivory in farmland. Additionally, through a second in-depth systematic review of scientific articles focused on bat diet and, as part of the ongoing European Cost Action project CA18107, we provide a complete list of 2308 documented interactions between bat species and their respective insect pest prey. These pertain to 81 bat species belonging to 36 different genera preying upon 760 insect pests from 14 orders in agroecosystems and other habitats such as forest or urban areas. The data set is publicly available and updatable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carme Tuneu-Corral
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigaçaõ em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Xavier Puig-Montserrat
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
| | - Daniel Riba-Bertolín
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
| | - Danilo Russo
- Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Evolution (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, via Università, 100, Portici, Naples, 80055, Italy
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO-InBIO, Centro de Investigaçaõ em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, 4485-661, Portugal
| | - Mar Cabeza
- Global Change and Conservation Lab, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Adrià López-Baucells
- BiBio, Biodiversity and Bioindicators Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Av. Francesc Macià 51, Granollers, Catalonia, 08402, Spain
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Nsengimana O, Walker FM, Webala PW, Twizeyimana I, Dusabe MC, Sanchez DE, Sobek CJ, Ruhagazi D, Iribagiza P, Muvunyi R, Medellin RA. Our good neighbors: Understanding ecosystem services provided by insectivorous bats in Rwanda. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287536. [PMID: 37352304 PMCID: PMC10289311 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Bats are prodigious consumers of agricultural and forest pests, and are, therefore, a natural asset for agricultural productivity, suppressing populations of such pests. This study provides baseline information of diet of 143 bats belonging to eight insectivorous bat species from agricultural areas of Rwanda while evaluating the effectiveness of bats as pest suppressors. Using DNA metabarcoding to analyze bat fecal pellets, 85 different insect species were detected, with 60% (n = 65), 64% (n = 11) and 78% (n = 9) found to be agricultural pests from eastern, northern and western regions, respectively. Given the high percentages of agricultural pests detected, we submit that Rwandan insectivorous bats have the capacity for biocontrol of agricultural pests. Rwandan bat populations should be protected and promoted since they may foster higher crop yields and sustainable livelihoods.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Faith M. Walker
- Bat Ecology & Genetics Lab, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Paul W. Webala
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Maasai Mara University, Narok, Kenya
| | | | | | - Daniel E. Sanchez
- Bat Ecology & Genetics Lab, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Colin J. Sobek
- Bat Ecology & Genetics Lab, School of Forestry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
- The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, United States of America
| | - Deo Ruhagazi
- Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, Kigali, Rwanda
| | | | | | - Rodrigo A. Medellin
- Institute of Ecology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
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5
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Cable AB, Willcox EV, Holliday C, Ogle CS, Gerhold RW. Alopecia in Two Species of Insectivorous Bats during the Critical Time Period of Female Reproduction. SOUTHEAST NAT 2023. [DOI: 10.1656/058.022.0105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ashleigh B. Cable
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, 2505 E.J. Chapman Drive, RM 427 Plant Biotech Building., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
| | - Emma V. Willcox
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, 2505 E.J. Chapman Drive, RM 427 Plant Biotech Building., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
| | - Cory Holliday
- The Nature Conservancy, Tennessee Chapter, 750 Big Branch Road, Granville, TN 38564
| | - Chris S. Ogle
- Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency, Region 4, 3030 Wildlife Way, Morristown, TN 37814
| | - Richard W. Gerhold
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996
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6
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Hending D, Andrianiaina A, Rose M, Rowlands A, Storm S, Holderied MW, Cotton S. Vanilla Bats: Insectivorous Bat Diversity in the Vanilla Agroecosystems of Northeastern Madagascar. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2023. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2022.24.2.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Hending
- Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol BS8 3HA, United Kingdom
| | - Angelo Andrianiaina
- Mention: Zoologie et Biodiversité Animale, Université d'Antananarivo, BP 906 Antananarivo 101, Madagascar
| | - Miranda Rose
- Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol BS8 3HA, United Kingdom
| | - Adèle Rowlands
- Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol BS8 3HA, United Kingdom
| | - Savannah Storm
- Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol BS8 3HA, United Kingdom
| | - Marc W. Holderied
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Sam Cotton
- Department of Field Conservation and Science, Bristol Zoological Society, Bristol BS8 3HA, United Kingdom
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7
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Beilke EA, O'Keefe JM. Bats reduce insect density and defoliation in temperate forests: An exclusion experiment. Ecology 2023; 104:e3903. [PMID: 36310413 PMCID: PMC10078224 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Bats suppress insect populations in agricultural ecosystems, yet the question of whether bats initiate trophic cascades in forests is mainly unexplored. We used a field experiment to test the hypothesis that insectivorous bats reduce defoliation through the top-down suppression of forest-defoliating insects. We excluded bats from 20 large, subcanopy forest plots (opened daily to allow birds access), each paired with an experimental control plot, during three summers between 2018 and 2020 in the central hardwood region of the United States. We monitored leaf area changes and insect density for nine to 10 oak or hickory seedlings per plot. Insect density was three times greater on seedlings in bat-excluded versus control plots. Additionally, seedling defoliation was five times greater with bats excluded, and bats' impact on defoliation was three times greater for oaks than for hickories. We show that insectivorous bats drive top-down trophic cascades, play an integral role in forest ecosystems, and may ultimately influence forest health, structure, and composition. This work demonstrates insectivorous bats' ecological and economic value and the importance of conserving this highly imperiled group of predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A. Beilke
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and ConservationIndiana State UniversityTerre HauteIndianaUSA
| | - Joy M. O'Keefe
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
- Center for Bat Research, Outreach, and ConservationIndiana State UniversityTerre HauteIndianaUSA
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8
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Gaulke SM, Cable AB, Hohoff TC, Rogness BA, Davis MA. One model to rule them all: identifying priority bat habitats from multi‐species habitat suitability models. J Wildl Manage 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Gaulke
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign 1816 S Oak Street Champaign IL 61820 USA
| | - Ashleigh B. Cable
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries University of Tennessee Knoxville 2505 E.J. Chapman Drive Knoxville TN 37996 USA
| | - Tara C. Hohoff
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign 1816 S Oak Street Champaign IL 61820 USA
| | - Brittany A. Rogness
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign 1816 S Oak Street Champaign IL 61820 USA
| | - Mark A. Davis
- Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute University of Illinois Urbana‐Champaign 1816 S Oak Street Champaign IL 61820 USA
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9
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Carandell Baruzzi M. 'Ugly and smelly or useful insect hunters?' Perceptions of and attitudes towards bats in the turn of the twentieth-century public sphere in Barcelona. PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE (BRISTOL, ENGLAND) 2023; 32:103-120. [PMID: 36169341 DOI: 10.1177/09636625221123420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, historians and sociologists of science have shown how turn of the century natural history research and its public communication in Barcelona was intrinsically attached to certain political orientations and the historical context. Likewise, the way society perceived bats and promoted their ecological services has been increasingly researched by the community of bat researchers. In this article, I describe attitudes towards and perceptions of bats in the 'public sphere' of Barcelona in that period and examine them using public communication of science and history of science analytical tools. I performed an exhaustive search of the available newspaper and magazine articles using the Catalan and Spanish words for 'bat' in the online search engines of the national Catalan and Spanish libraries from 1888 to 1929. I compiled and reviewed a wide range of periodicals, covering different political orientations and representing several different types of publication. The articles were classified into four different categories. First, bats were commonly used as a symbol to represent the city and right-wing, conservative politics. Second, bats were often linked to negative adjectives that portrayed them as ugly, disgusting or diabolic. Third, many articles made an active effort to stop children chasing and killing bats. And fourth, I also identified a non-organised group of popularisers across the whole media spectrum who promoted what we call today the ecological services provided by bats, and especially their role as agricultural pest controllers. This study provides a better understanding of science popularisation, and specifically, perceptions of and attitudes towards bats during the studied period. This approach illustrates how historical accounts can be used today to improve perceptions of bats and suggest a more complex context of science popularisation.
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Moraga-Fernández A, Sánchez-Sánchez M, Queirós J, Lopes AM, Vicente J, Pardavila X, Sereno-Cadierno J, Alves PC, de la Fuente J, Fernández de Mera IG. A study of viral pathogens in bat species in the Iberian Peninsula: identification of new coronavirus genetic variants. Int J Vet Sci Med 2022; 10:100-110. [PMID: 36407496 PMCID: PMC9639555 DOI: 10.1080/23144599.2022.2139985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Bats have long been associated with multiple pathogens, including viruses affecting humans such as henipaviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses and coronaviruses. The alpha and beta coronaviruses genera can infect most mammalian species. Among them, betacoronavirus SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, which have caused the three major pandemics in the last two decades, have been proposed to originate in bats. In this study, 194 oral swabs from 22 bats species sampled in 19 locations of the Iberian Peninsula were analysed and characterized by three different PCR tests (coronavirus generic real-time RT-PCR, multiplex conventional PCR, and SARS-CoV-2 specific real-time RT-PCR) to detect bat coronaviruses. Screening with coronavirus generic PCR showed 102 positives out of 194 oral swabs analysed. Then, metabarcoding with multiplex PCR amplified 15 positive samples. Most of the coronaviruses detected in this study belong to alphacoronavirus (α-CoV) genus, with multiple alphacoronaviruses identified by up to five different genetic variants coexisting in the same bat. One of the positive samples identified in a Miniopterus schreibersii bat positive for the generic coronavirus PCR and the specific SARS-CoV-2 PCR was classified as betacoronavirus (-CoV) through phylogenetic analysis. These results support the rapid evolution of coronaviruses to generate new genomic potentially pathogenic variants likely through co-infection and recombination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Moraga-Fernández
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), SaBio Research Group, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Marta Sánchez-Sánchez
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), SaBio Research Group, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - João Queirós
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Estação Biológica de Mértola (EBM), CIBIO, Praça Luís de Camões, Mértola, Portugal
| | - Ana M. Lopes
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Joaquín Vicente
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), SaBio Research Group, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Xosé Pardavila
- Sorex, Ecoloxía e Medio Ambiente S.L., Santiago de Compostela. A Coruña, Spain
| | - Jorge Sereno-Cadierno
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), SaBio Research Group, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Paulo C. Alves
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
- Estação Biológica de Mértola (EBM), CIBIO, Praça Luís de Camões, Mértola, Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - José de la Fuente
- Institute for Game and Wildlife Research, IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), SaBio Research Group, Ciudad Real, Spain
- Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
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11
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Swartz E, Weier SM, Pretorius ME, Keith M. Natural Vegetation Edges Promote Bat Activity in Macadamia Orchards in Northeastern South Africa. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.3957/056.052.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Swartz
- Eugène Marais Chair of Wildlife Management, Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria, 0028 South Africa
| | - Sina M. Weier
- SARChI (NRF-DST) Research Chair on Biodiversity Value and Change, School of Mathematical & Natural Science, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
| | - Mariëtte E. Pretorius
- Eugène Marais Chair of Wildlife Management, Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria, 0028 South Africa
| | - Mark Keith
- Eugène Marais Chair of Wildlife Management, Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Pretoria, 0028 South Africa
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12
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Farias TDO, Figueiredo AFA, Wnuk NT, Talamoni SA, Costa GMJ. Testis and brown adipose tissue xenografts from yellowish myotis (Myotis levis). REPRODUCTION AND FERTILITY 2022; 3:RAF-22-0056. [PMID: 36331914 PMCID: PMC9782442 DOI: 10.1530/raf-22-0056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Yellowish myotis present a seasonal reproduction, influenced by rainfall distribution, in which the testis mass, germ cell composition, and brown adipose tissue mass change along the reproductive stages. In the present study, tissue xenografts were performed in immunodeficient mice to investigate spermatogenesis development in a stable endocrine milieu and the possible androgenic role of brown adipose tissue. Forty-one adult male bats were captured in the Santuário do Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The gonads and brown adipose tissue were collected, weighed, and grafted under the mice's back skin. Mice biometric and hormonal data were evaluated after grafting, and the testis grafts and mice gonads were fixed for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. As a result, testis grafts from adult bats presented a continuous germ cell development in all reproductive phases, showing round spermatids in all testis tissues. Furthermore, testis fragments in the Rest stage presented elongating spermatids as the most advanced germ cell type in the seminiferous epithelium after seven months of grafting. These data indicated that yellowish myotis spermatogenesis could be continued (presenting a constant spermatogonial differentiation) in a stable endocrine milieu, as found in mice. In addition, the best spermatogenic development was achieved when testis fragments were transplanted at their lowest activity (Rest stage). Regarding the brown adipose tissue grafts, the adipose tissue consumption by mice increased seminal vesicle mass and testosterone serum levels. This data proved that the brown adipose tissue is related to testosterone synthesis, which may be critical in stimulating the differentiation of spermatogonia in yellowish myotis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talita De Oliveira Farias
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - André Felipe Almeida Figueiredo
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Natalia Teixeira Wnuk
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Sônia Aparecida Talamoni
- Laboratory of Mastozoology, Department of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais - PUC Minas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Mattos Jardim Costa
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
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Sustainable pest control inspired by prey-predator ultrasound interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2211007119. [PMID: 36215520 PMCID: PMC9618128 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211007119] [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: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Nocturnal moths evolved ultrasound-triggered escape maneuvers for avoiding predatory bats emitting ultrasonic echolocation calls. Using ultrasound for pest control is not a novel concept, but the technique has not been systemized because of the moths' habituation to sounds and the narrow directionality of conventional ultrasound speakers. Here, we report the use of pulsed ultrasonic white noise, which contributes to achieving ecologically concordant plant protection. An ultrasonic pulse, which is temporal mimicry of the search-phase pulse in the echolocation calls of a sympatric bat, was identified using neuroethological screening of eared moth-repelling ultrasounds; these pulses elicit flight-stopping reactions in moths but have no or little auditory adaptation. Such repellent ultrasounds broadcast from the cylindrical omni-azimuth ultrasound emitters suppressed the intrusion of gravid females of pest moths into cultivation fields. Thus, egg numbers and plant damage by hatched larvae were drastically reduced, enabling farmers to substantially skip applications of chemical insecticides for controlling moth pests.
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Brasileiro LAM, Machado RB, Aguiar LMS. Ecosystems Services Provided by Bats Are at Risk in Brazil. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.852177] [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
Ecosystem services (ES) are essential for human society worldwide. ES originate from ecological processes commonly occurring in well-preserved regions. Bats play an essential role in providing such services, primarily insect suppression, plant pollination, and seed dispersal. Human activities have affected Earth’s systems, compromising species and ecosystems and, consequently, the ES provision. Brazil is a country with many bat species but is also one of the world’s leaders in deforestation. Here we aimed to identify regions with high potential for bats ecosystem services provision, assuming that the predicted presence of the species represents the existence of the services. First, we used a Maximum Entropy algorithm to model the distribution of 128 bat species, which correspond to 71% of the Brazilian species. We classify all species into 10 different groups, which resulted from a combination of three body sizes and four predominant trophic guilds (i.e., frugivores, insectivores, nectarivores, and carnivores). The guilds were associated with services of seed dispersion, pest control, pollination, and animal control. Then, we created a 0.5 × 0.5-degree grid to represent an index of ES per guild, which is defined by the sum of the product of the bat’s size weight (1, 2, or 3) by the area occupied of each species in each cell. For comparison, the index was normalized and scaled from 0 to 1. Finally, we used a map of current land use to compare the effects of natural area suppression on the provision of ES in each cell. Our results indicate a substantial reduction in the provision of ES by bats in extensive parts of the central and eastern parts of Brazil, but changes in ES varies among biomes. While the loss of species is an important factor affecting the provision of ES in the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado, the reduction of species occurrence is most important factor in Amazonia, Caatinga, or Pantanal regions. We suggest that degraded area restoration should be promoted in areas with high ES values and areas near cities and croplands and that a precautionary approach of promoting the conservation of high provider richness should be applied to protect the continuation of bat’s ES.
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15
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Far from home: bat activity and diversity in row crop agriculture decreases with distance to potential roost habitat. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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16
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Garfinkel MB, Fuka ME, Minor E, Whelan CJ. When a pest is not a pest: Birds indirectly increase defoliation but have no effect on yield of soybean crops. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2527. [PMID: 34994027 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Natural habitats near agricultural systems can be sources of both ecosystem services and disservices on farms. Ecosystem disservices, those aspects of an ecosystem that have negative impacts on humans, may disproportionately affect conservation decisions made by farmers. Birds, in particular, can have complex effects on crops, ranging from positive to neutral to negative. Therefore, it is important to quantify them in a meaningful way. Birds may be more abundant on farms near natural areas and may provide ecosystem services by consuming insect pests. However, when birds consume beneficial predatory arthropods rather than pest species (intraguild predation), they can provide a disservice to the farmer if the intraguild predation decreases crop yield. We studied bird intraguild predation in Illinois (USA) at six soybean fields adjacent to grasslands that provided source habitat for bird populations. We placed cages over soybean crops, which excluded birds but allowed access to arthropods, and measured differences in leaf damage and crop yield of plants in control and exclosure plots. We also conducted point counts at each site to quantify the bird communities. We found that plants within the bird exclosures had lower levels of leaf damage by pests than those in control plots, but there was no resulting effect on crop yield. We also found that sites with higher bird abundance had higher levels of leaf damage by pests, but bird species richness was not a significant predictor of leaf damage. These results suggest that although birds may have released pests through intraguild predation, there was no net disservice when considering crop yield, the variable most important to stakeholders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan B Garfinkel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Mark E Fuka
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Emily Minor
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Christopher J Whelan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Cancer Physiology, Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA
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17
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Kruszynski C, de Andrade Moral R, Míllan C, Diniz-Reis TR, Mello MAR, de Camargo PB. Diet Composition of Bats in a Human-Modified Tropical Landscape. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2022. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2021.23.2.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Kruszynski
- Laboratório de Ecologia, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Centenário, 303, 13400-970 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Cristiane Míllan
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo. Rua do Matão, 321/Travessa 14, 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Thais R. Diniz-Reis
- Laboratório de Ecologia, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Centenário, 303, 13400-970 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
| | - Marco A. R. Mello
- Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo. Rua do Matão, 321/Travessa 14, 05508-090 São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Plinio B. de Camargo
- Laboratório de Ecologia, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA), Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Centenário, 303, 13400-970 Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
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18
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Ramírez-Fráncel LA, García-Herrera LV, Losada-Prado S, Reinoso-Flórez G, Sánchez-Hernández A, Estrada-Villegas S, Lim BK, Guevara G. Bats and their vital ecosystem services: a global review. Integr Zool 2022; 17:2-23. [PMID: 34003577 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Bats play crucial ecosystem services as seed dispersers, pollinators, controllers of insects, and nutrient recyclers. However, there has not been a thorough global review evaluating these roles in bats across all biogeographical regions of the world. We reviewed the literature published during the last two decades and identified 283 relevant studies: 78 dealt with the control of potential insect pests by bats, 80 related to the suppression of other arthropods, 60 on the dispersal of native or endemic seeds, 11 dealt with the dispersal of seeds of introduced plants, 29 on the pollination of native or endemic plants, 1 study on pollination of introduced plants, and 24 on the use of guano as fertilizer. Our literature search showed that queries combining the terms "seed dispersal," "insectivorous bats," "nectarivorous bats," "use of guano," and "ecosystem services" returned 577 studies, but half were experimental in nature. We found that the evaluation of ecosystem services by bats has been mostly conducted in the Neotropical and Palearctic regions. To detect differences across relevant studies, and to explain trends in the study of ecosystem services provided by bats, we performed generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) fitted with a Poisson distribution to analyze potential differences among sampling methods. We identified 409 bat species that provide ecosystem services, 752 insect species consumed by bats and 549 plant species either dispersed or pollinated by bats. Our review summarizes the importance of conserving bat populations and the ecological services they provide, which is especially important during the current pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leidy Azucena Ramírez-Fráncel
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia.,Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Leidy Viviana García-Herrera
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias Biológicas & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia.,Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia
| | - Sergio Losada-Prado
- Departamento de Biología & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Gladys Reinoso-Flórez
- Departamento de Biología & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Alfonso Sánchez-Hernández
- Departamento de Matemáticas y Estadística, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
| | - Sergio Estrada-Villegas
- Programa para la Conservación de los Murciélagos de Colombia, Bogotá D.C., Colombia.,Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
| | - Burton K Lim
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giovany Guevara
- Departamento de Biología & Grupo de Investigación en Zoología (GIZ), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad del Tolima, Ibagué, Colombia
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19
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Mata VA, da Silva LP, Veríssimo J, Horta P, Raposeira H, McCracken GF, Rebelo H, Beja P. Combining DNA metabarcoding and ecological networks to inform conservation biocontrol by small vertebrate predators. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02457. [PMID: 34529299 PMCID: PMC9285058 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
In multifunctional landscapes, diverse communities of flying vertebrate predators provide vital services of insect pest control. In such landscapes, conservation biocontrol should benefit service-providing species to enhance the flow, stability and resilience of pest control services supporting the production of food and fiber. However, this would require identifying key service providers, which may be challenging when multiple predators interact with multiple pests. Here we provide a framework to identify the functional role of individual species to pest control in multifunctional landscapes. First, we used DNA metabarcoding to provide detailed data on pest species predation by diverse predator communities. Then, these data were fed into an extensive network analysis, in which information relevant for conservation biocontrol is gained from parameters describing network structure (e.g., modularity) and species roles in such network (e.g., centrality, specialization). We applied our framework to a Mediterranean landscape, where 19 bat species were found to feed on 132 insect pest species. Metabarcoding data revealed potentially important bats that consumed insect pest species in high frequency and/or diversity. Network analysis showed a modular structure, indicating sets of bat species that are required to regulate specific sets of insect pests. A few generalist bats had particularly important roles, either at network or module levels. Extinction simulations highlighted six bats, including species of conservation concern, which were sufficient to ensure that over three-quarters of the pest species had at least one bat predator. Combining DNA metabarcoding and ecological network analysis provides a valuable framework to identify individual species within diverse predator communities that might have a disproportionate contribution to pest control services in multifunctional landscapes. These species can be regarded as candidate targets for conservation biocontrol, although additional information is needed to evaluate their actual effectiveness in pest regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa A. Mata
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade of PortoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairão4485‐661Portugal
| | - Luis P. da Silva
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade of PortoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairão4485‐661Portugal
| | - Joana Veríssimo
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade of PortoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do PortoPorto4099‐002Portugal
| | - Pedro Horta
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade of PortoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do PortoPorto4099‐002Portugal
| | - Helena Raposeira
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade of PortoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de CiênciasUniversidade do PortoPorto4099‐002Portugal
| | - Gary F. McCracken
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of TennesseeKnoxvilleTennessee37996‐1610USA
| | - Hugo Rebelo
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade of PortoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoInstituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de LisboaLisboa1349‐017Portugal
| | - Pedro Beja
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade of PortoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairão4485‐661Portugal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoInstituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de LisboaLisboa1349‐017Portugal
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20
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Serée L, Gardarin A, Crouzet O, Barbottin A, Valantin‐Morison M, Chiron F. Exploring multitrophic interactions in oilseed rape fields reveals the prevailing role of Carabidae. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:15377-15388. [PMID: 34765184 PMCID: PMC8571632 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In cropped fields, birds are often at the highest position in the food chain, feeding on pest arthropods and their intermediate predators in a process known as intraguild predation. The net effects of bird predation on phytophagous insect populations (feeding on plants) are difficult to predict without comprehensively describing prey-predator communities and their complex interplay. We sampled bird and arthropod communities in 30 oilseed rape fields in the spring of 2019 and 2020 in France. To assess the top-down control of arthropods by birds, we used a vertebrate exclusion experiment. Using a taxonomic and functional trait-based approach, we determined the direct and indirect influences of birds on arthropod predators and phytophagous insect populations in arable crops. We observed a negative relationship between the abundance of Carabidae and phytophagous insects but not with the other predator group suggesting the key role of Carabidae on phytophagous insects in agroecosystem. We found no statistical evidence of intraguild predation from birds toward intermediate predators. Despite the lack of overall effect of predator functional diversity on their prey, we highlighted the negative relationship between the functional complementarity (through functional evenness) of Carabidae and the abundance of phytophagous insects. This result suggests that functional complementarity between Carabidae species could help to reduce phytophagous insect populations. We analyzed the effect of agricultural practices on these multitrophic interactions, showing that pesticide intensity only had detrimental effects on Carabidae abundance, while the frequency of tillage did not affect the studied communities. Complementary indices used to depict communities are helpful to better understand the mechanisms underlying trophic relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lola Serée
- AgronomieINRAEAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayThiverval‐GrignonFrance
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversité Paris‐SaclayCNRSAgroParisTechOrsayFrance
| | - Antoine Gardarin
- AgronomieINRAEAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayThiverval‐GrignonFrance
| | | | - Aude Barbottin
- SADAPTINRAEAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐SaclayThiverval‐GrignonFrance
| | | | - François Chiron
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionUniversité Paris‐SaclayCNRSAgroParisTechOrsayFrance
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21
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Going out for dinner-The consumption of agriculture pests by bats in urban areas. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258066. [PMID: 34673777 PMCID: PMC8530310 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Insectivorous bats provide ecosystem services in agricultural and urban landscapes by consuming arthropods that are considered pests. Bat species inhabiting cities are expected to consume insects associated with urban areas, such as mosquitoes, flying termites, moths, and beetles. We captured insectivorous bats in the Federal District of Brazil and used fecal DNA metabarcoding to investigate the arthropod consumed by five bat species living in colonies in city buildings, and ascertained whether their predation was related to ecosystem services. These insectivorous bat species were found to consume 83 morphospecies of arthropods and among these 41 were identified to species, most of which were agricultural pests. We propose that bats may roost in the city areas and forage in the nearby agricultural fields using their ability to fly over long distances. We also calculated the value of the pest suppression ecosystem service by the bats. By a conservative estimation, bats save US$ 94 per hectare of cornfields, accounting for an annual savings of US$ 390.6 million per harvest in Brazil. Our study confirms that, regardless of their roosting location, bats are essential for providing ecosystem services in the cities, with extensive impacts on crops and elsewhere, in addition to significant savings in the use of pesticides.
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22
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Farias TDO, Figueiredo AFA, Wnuk NT, Vieira CP, Lara NDLEM, Avelar GFD, Talamoni SA, Costa GMJ. Sperm production and seminal analyses in a Neotropical sperm-storing vespertilionid bat yellowish myotis (Myotis levis). Theriogenology 2021; 174:73-84. [PMID: 34425303 DOI: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2021.08.018] [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: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Yellowish myotis is a Neotropical vespertilionid bat that presents a seasonal reproduction. The sperm is produced in the Mature stage, stored in the Regressed stage and released in the Rest stage (mating period). Aiming to understand, for the first time, the relationship between testis and epididymis physiology in yellowish myotis reproduction, the spermatogenesis length, sperm production, and seminal parameters were herein evaluated. Fifty-one adult male bats were captured in Santuário do Caraça, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The gonads were collected in the Maturing and Mature stages for histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyses, whereas the epididymis was evaluated in all reproductive stages for seminal studies. Our results demonstrated that the yellowish myotis spermatogenic process is fast, lasting 31.70 ± 0.15 days. Despite the low Sertoli cell efficiency (6.60 ± 1.23), the high numbers of Sertoli cells per testis enable an elevated sperm production in the Mature stage. The sperm concentration, vitality, and motility presented the highest values in the Regressed stage; however, in this period, an increased incidence of sperm morphological defects was detected. In the following period (Rest stage), a drastic reduction of defective sperm was observed, suggesting quality control of sperm before the mating period. Furthermore, the epididymis ability to maintain a long-term sperm-storage was observed in 26.7% of the bats in the Maturing stage. In summary, yellowish myotis presented a fast and high sperm production during the Mature stage. These sperms are stored and selected before mating period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Talita De Oliveira Farias
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - André Felipe Almeida Figueiredo
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Natalia Teixeira Wnuk
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Carolina Pinhol Vieira
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Nathalia de Lima E Martins Lara
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Gleide Fernandes de Avelar
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Sônia Aparecida Talamoni
- Laboratory of Mastozoology, Department of Biological Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais - PUC Minas, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
| | - Guilherme Mattos Jardim Costa
- Laboratory of Cellular Biology, Department of Morphology, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
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23
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Bat activity patterns relative to temporal and weather effects in a temperate coastal environment. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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24
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Salinas-Ramos VB, Ancillotto L, Cistrone L, Nastasi C, Bosso L, Smeraldo S, Sánchez Cordero V, Russo D. Artificial illumination influences niche segregation in bats. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 284:117187. [PMID: 33906034 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a pervasive form of pollution largely affecting wildlife, from individual behaviour to community structure and dynamics. As nocturnal mammals, bats are often adversely affected by ALAN, yet some "light-opportunistic" species exploit it by hunting insects swarming near lights. Here we used two potentially competing pipistrelle species as models, Kuhl's (Pipistrellus kuhlii) and common (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) pipistrelles, both known to forage in artificially illuminated areas. We set our study in a mountainous area of central Italy, where only recently did the two species become syntopic. We applied spatial modelling and radiotracking to contrast potential vs. actual environmental preferences by the two pipistrelles. Species distribution models and niche analysis showed a large interspecific niche overlap, including a preference for illuminated areas, presenting a potential competition scenario. Pipistrellus pipistrellus association with ALAN, however, was weakened by adding P. kuhlii as a biotic variable to the model. Radiotracking showed that the two species segregated habitats at a small spatial scale and that P. kuhlii used artificially illuminated sites much more frequently than P. pipistrellus, despite both species potentially being streetlamp foragers. We demonstrate that ALAN influences niche segregation between two potentially competing species, confirming its pervasive effects on species and community dynamics, and provide an example of how light pollution and species' habitat preferences may weave a tapestry of complex ecological interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria B Salinas-Ramos
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy
| | - Leonardo Ancillotto
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy
| | - Luca Cistrone
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy
| | - Chiara Nastasi
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Torino, Italy
| | - Luciano Bosso
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy
| | - Sonia Smeraldo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy
| | - Víctor Sánchez Cordero
- Laboratorio de Sistemas de Información Geográfica, Departamento de Zoología, Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Av. Universidad, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Danilo Russo
- Wildlife Research Unit, Dipartimento di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, NA, Italy.
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25
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Robinson CV, Robinson JM. Listen But Do Not Touch: Using a Smartphone Acoustic Device to Investigate Bat Activity, with Implications for Community-Based Monitoring. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2021. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2021.23.1.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chloe V. Robinson
- Integrative Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Jessica M. Robinson
- Integrative Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Genomics, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road E, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
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Abstract
Moths (Lepidoptera) are major agricultural and forest pests in many parts of the world, including Europe, with many causing great economic damage to crops, horticultural plants, stored items, and wool products. Here, we focus on two ecologically similar inchworms, Operophtera brumata and Erannis defoliaria, known for their high foliage consumption during the spring emergence of caterpillars. We hypothesise that bats could play a role in reducing pests such as caterpillars by switching to this abundant emerging prey. At two infested and one control forest sites, caterpillars were sampled during spring to determine levels of infestation. At the same time, bat flight activity was monitored during the peak in caterpillar abundance. During the spring caterpillar outbreak, we collected faecal samples of forest-dwelling bats capable of using gleaning. The majority of samples were positive for our focus species, being 51.85% for O. brumata and 29.63% for E. defoliaria faecal samples. The foraging activity of two gleaning bats, Myotis nattereri and Myotis bechsteinii, increased at both infested sites, but not at the control site, during caterpillar emergence, as did foraging of Plecotus auritus/austriacus, which used both gleaning and aerial hawking. We conclude that both specialists and occasional gleaners, which prefer different prey but are able to switch their foraging strategies, aggregate at sites during pest emergence and, as such, our results confirm the high potential of bats to reduce numbers of pest species such as caterpillars.
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Ratnadass A, Deguine JP. Crop protection practices and viral zoonotic risks within a One Health framework. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 774:145172. [PMID: 33610983 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 01/10/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent viral zoonotic epidemics have been attributed partially to the negative impact of human activities on ecosystem biodiversity. Agricultural activities, particularly conventional crop protection (CP) practices, are a major threat to global biodiversity, ecosystem health and human health. Here we review interactions between CP practices and viral zoonoses (VZs), the first time this has been done. It should be noted that a) VZs stand at the interface between human, animal and ecosystem health; b) some VZs involve arthropod vectors that are affected by CP practices; and c) some crop pests, or their natural enemies are vertebrate reservoirs/carriers of certain VZs, and their contact with humans or domestic animals is affected by CP practices. Our review encompasses examples highlighting interactions between VZs and CP practices, both efficiency improvement-based (i.e. conventional with agrochemical insecticides and rodenticides), substitution-based (i.e. mainly with physical/mechanical or biopesticidal pest control), and redesign-based (i.e. mainly with conservation biological pest control, including some forms of crop-livestock integration). These CP practices mainly target arthropod and vertebrate pests. They also target, to a lesser extent, weeds and plant pathogens. Conventional and some physical/mechanical control methods and some forms of biopesticidal and crop-livestock integration practices were found to have mixed outcomes in terms of VZ risk management. Conversely, practices based on biological control by habitat conservation of arthropod or vertebrate natural enemies, falling within the Agroecological Crop Protection (ACP) framework, result in VZ prevention at various scales (local to global, and short-term to long-term). ACP addresses major global challenges including climate resilience, biodiversity conservation and animal welfare, and helps integrate plant health within the extended "One Health" concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alain Ratnadass
- CIRAD, UPR HortSys, F-97455 Saint-Pierre, Réunion, France; HortSys, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, Montpellier, France.
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28
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Moiseienko M, Vlaschenko A. Quantitative evaluation of individual food intake by insectivorous vespertilionid bats (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae). Biol Open 2021; 10:269042. [PMID: 34096574 PMCID: PMC8214420 DOI: 10.1242/bio.058511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Insectivorous bats provide important ecosystem services, especially by suppressing and controlling the insects’ biomass. To empirically quantify the number of insects consumed by European vespertilionid bats per night, we estimated their ratio of dry mass of feces to mass of consumed insects. This study combines the results of feeding in captivity and the data obtained in field surveys; dry mass of feces was measured in both cases. In captivity, we analyzed the effect of species, age and sex of bats, species of insects consumed and the mass of food portion on the dry mass of feces. Using coefficients of the regression model, we estimated the number of insects consumed by free-ranging bats based on dry mass of their feces. According to our estimates, on average, one individual of one of the largest European bat species, Nyctalusnoctula, consumes 2.2 g (ranging from 0.5 to 8.2 g) of insects per one feeding night, while the smallest European bats of genus Pipistrellus consume 0.4 g (ranging from 0.1 to 1.3 g), further confirming the importance of insectivorous bats for ecosystem services. This publication offers the novel method for the estimation of insects’ biomass consumed by bats. Summary: This study applies a combination of experiment in captivity and field survey that can be used as an easy methodological approach to estimate insect biomass consumed by bats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marharyta Moiseienko
- Bat Rehabilitation Center of Feldman Ecopark, 62340 Lisne, Kharkiv Region, Ukraine
| | - Anton Vlaschenko
- Bat Rehabilitation Center of Feldman Ecopark, 62340 Lisne, Kharkiv Region, Ukraine.,H.S. Skovoroda Kharkiv National Pedagogical University, Institute of Natural Sciences, Valentynivska St., 2, Kharkiv, 61168, Ukraine.,NGO, Ukrainian Independent Ecology Institute, Plekhanivska St., 40/27, 61001 Kharkiv, Ukraine
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29
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Kolkert HL, Smith R, Rader R, Reid N. Prey removal in cotton crops next to woodland reveals periodic diurnal and nocturnal invertebrate predation gradients from the crop edge by birds and bats. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5256. [PMID: 33664383 PMCID: PMC7970855 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84633-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Factors influencing the efficacy of insectivorous vertebrates in providing natural pest control services inside crops at increasing distances from the crop edge are poorly understood. We investigated the identity of vertebrate predators (birds and bats) and removal of sentinel prey (mealworms and beetles) from experimental feeding trays in cotton crops using prey removal trials, camera traps and observations. More prey was removed during the day than at night, but prey removal was variable at the crop edge and dependent on the month (reflecting crop growth and cover) and time of day. Overall, the predation of mealworms and beetles was 1-times and 13-times greater during the day than night, respectively, with predation on mealworms 3-5 times greater during the day than night at the crop edge compared to 95 m inside the crop. Camera traps identified many insectivorous birds and bats over crops near the feeding trays, but there was no evidence of bats or small passerines removing experimental prey. A predation gradient from the crop edge was evident, but only in some months. This corresponded to the foraging preferences of open-space generalist predators (magpies) in low crop cover versus the shrubby habitat preferred by small passerines, likely facilitating foraging away from the crop edge later in the season. Our results are in line with Optimal Foraging Theory and suggest that predators trade-off foraging behaviour with predation risk at different distances from the crop edge and levels of crop cover. Understanding the optimal farm configuration to support insectivorous bird and bat populations can assist farmers to make informed decisions regarding in-crop natural pest control and maximise the predation services provided by farm biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi L Kolkert
- Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
| | - Rhiannon Smith
- Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Romina Rader
- Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Nick Reid
- Ecosystem Management, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
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30
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Abstract
The recent introduction of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (the fungal pathogen that causes white-nose syndrome in bats) from Eurasia to North America has resulted in the collapse of North American bat populations and restructured species communities. The long evolutionary history between P. destructans and bats in Eurasia makes understanding host life history essential to uncovering the ecology of P. destructans. In this Review, we combine information on pathogen and host biology to understand the patterns of P. destructans spread, seasonal transmission ecology, the pathogenesis of white-nose syndrome and the cross-scale impact from individual hosts to ecosystems. Collectively, this research highlights how early pathogen detection and quantification of host impacts has accelerated the understanding of this newly emerging infectious disease.
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31
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OUP accepted manuscript. J Mammal 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyab170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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32
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Ohmer MEB, Costantini D, Czirják GÁ, Downs CJ, Ferguson LV, Flies A, Franklin CE, Kayigwe AN, Knutie S, Richards-Zawacki CL, Cramp RL. Applied ecoimmunology: using immunological tools to improve conservation efforts in a changing world. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coab074. [PMID: 34512994 PMCID: PMC8422949 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coab074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Ecoimmunology is a rapidly developing field that explores how the environment shapes immune function, which in turn influences host-parasite relationships and disease outcomes. Host immune defence is a key fitness determinant because it underlies the capacity of animals to resist or tolerate potential infections. Importantly, immune function can be suppressed, depressed, reconfigured or stimulated by exposure to rapidly changing environmental drivers like temperature, pollutants and food availability. Thus, hosts may experience trade-offs resulting from altered investment in immune function under environmental stressors. As such, approaches in ecoimmunology can provide powerful tools to assist in the conservation of wildlife. Here, we provide case studies that explore the diverse ways that ecoimmunology can inform and advance conservation efforts, from understanding how Galapagos finches will fare with introduced parasites, to using methods from human oncology to design vaccines against a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils. In addition, we discuss the future of ecoimmunology and present 10 questions that can help guide this emerging field to better inform conservation decisions and biodiversity protection. From better linking changes in immune function to disease outcomes under different environmental conditions, to understanding how individual variation contributes to disease dynamics in wild populations, there is immense potential for ecoimmunology to inform the conservation of imperilled hosts in the face of new and re-emerging pathogens, in addition to improving the detection and management of emerging potential zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel E B Ohmer
- Living Earth Collaborative, Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - David Costantini
- Unité Physiologie Moléculaire et Adaptation (PhyMA), Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 57 Rue Cuvier, CP32, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Gábor Á Czirják
- Department of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, 10315 Berlin, Germany
| | - Cynthia J Downs
- Department of Environmental Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
| | - Laura V Ferguson
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Andy Flies
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Craig E Franklin
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Ahab N Kayigwe
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Tasmania 7001, Australia
| | - Sarah Knutie
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA
- Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06268, USA
| | | | - Rebecca L Cramp
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Corresponding author: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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de Groot MD, Dumolein I, Hiller T, Sándor AD, Szentiványi T, Schilthuizen M, Aime MC, Verbeken A, Haelewaters D. On the Fly: Tritrophic Associations of Bats, Bat Flies, and Fungi. J Fungi (Basel) 2020; 6:jof6040361. [PMID: 33322768 PMCID: PMC7770572 DOI: 10.3390/jof6040361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 12/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parasitism is one of the most diverse and abundant modes of life, and of great ecological and evolutionary importance. Notwithstanding, large groups of parasites remain relatively understudied. One particularly unique form of parasitism is hyperparasitism, where a parasite is parasitized itself. Bats (Chiroptera) may be parasitized by bat flies (Diptera: Hippoboscoidea), obligate blood-sucking parasites, which in turn may be parasitized by hyperparasitic fungi, Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota: Laboulbeniomycetes). In this study, we present the global tritrophic associations among species within these groups and analyze their host specificity patterns. Bats, bat flies, and Laboulbeniales fungi are shown to form complex networks, and sixteen new associations are revealed. Bat flies are highly host-specific compared to Laboulbeniales. We discuss possible future avenues of study with regard to the dispersal of the fungi, abiotic factors influencing the parasite prevalence, and ecomorphology of the bat fly parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel D. de Groot
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333CR Leiden, The Netherlands;
- Correspondence:
| | - Iris Dumolein
- Research Group Mycology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (I.D.); (A.V.); (D.H.)
| | - Thomas Hiller
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstrasse 13, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany;
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama
| | - Attila D. Sándor
- Department of Parasitology and Parasitic Diseases, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calea Mănăștur 3-5, 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania;
- Department of Parasitology and Zoology, University of Veterinary Medicine, István u. 2, 1078 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamara Szentiványi
- Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University, 1395 S. Knoles Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA;
| | - Menno Schilthuizen
- Research Group Evolutionary Ecology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333CR Leiden, The Netherlands;
| | - M. Catherine Aime
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA;
| | - Annemieke Verbeken
- Research Group Mycology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (I.D.); (A.V.); (D.H.)
| | - Danny Haelewaters
- Research Group Mycology, Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; (I.D.); (A.V.); (D.H.)
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Purdue University, 915 W. State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA;
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34
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Tiede J, Diepenbruck M, Gadau J, Wemheuer B, Daniel R, Scherber C. Seasonal variation in the diet of the serotine bat (Eptesicus serotinus): A high-resolution analysis using DNA metabarcoding. Basic Appl Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2020.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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35
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcione B. De Oliveira
- Graduate Program in Zoology, National Museum, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista s/n, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brazil
| | - Cibele R. Bonvicino
- Graduate Program in Zoology, National Museum, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista s/n, São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 20940-040, Brazil
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36
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Puig-Montserrat X, Flaquer C, Gómez-Aguilera N, Burgas A, Mas M, Tuneu C, Marquès E, López-Baucells A. Bats actively prey on mosquitoes and other deleterious insects in rice paddies: Potential impact on human health and agriculture. PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE 2020; 76:3759-3769. [PMID: 32431084 DOI: 10.1002/ps.5925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The fact that bats suppress agricultural pests has been measured for some particular dyads of predator and prey species in both economic and food security terms. The recent emergence of new molecular techniques allows for more precise screenings of bat's diet than the traditional visual identification systems and provides further evidence that bats consume an ample array of agricultural pest species. The main focus of the regulatory services that bats provide in agroecosystems has been on crop pests that cause yield losses. Rice paddies constitute a particular agronomic system with specific challenges, not only related to crop productivity but also to human health. Dipteran density in such ecosystems poses a serious threat to human wellbeing and hinders crop production. Mosquitoes cause direct harm to human populations, transmitting a number of infectious diseases. Non-biting midges (Chironomidae) can consume and weaken rice seedlings and can cause major yield losses. RESULTS Mosquito populations and bat activity were assessed in rice paddies of Montgrí, Medes i Baix Ter Natural Park (NE Iberian Peninsula). Molecular analyses of bats faeces (6-weekly samples of 15 faeces each between mid-August and September) proved the presence of both mosquitoes and nonbiting midges in all diet samples. Furthermore, bat activity at the sampling locations was related to adult mosquito density. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that bats actively exploit the emergence of adult mosquitoes and further prove that they prey on mosquitoes, nonbiting midges and other deleterious insects. Promoting the presence of bats next to human settlements in such agroecosystems may constitute a biological control system with direct impact on both human health and crop yield. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Puig-Montserrat
- Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Granollers, Spain
- Galanthus Association, Celrà, Spain
| | - Carles Flaquer
- Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Granollers, Spain
| | | | | | - Maria Mas
- Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Granollers, Spain
| | - Carme Tuneu
- Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, Granollers, Spain
| | - Eduard Marquès
- Servei de Control de Mosquits de la Badia de Roses i del Baix Ter, Castelló d'Empúries, Spain
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37
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Ober HK, Jones GM, Gottlieb IGW, Johnson SA, Smith L, Brosi BJ, Fletcher RJ. Bat community response to intensification of biomass production for bioenergy across the southeastern United States. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02155. [PMID: 32358982 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Human demand for food, fiber, and space is accelerating the rate of change of land cover and land use. Much of the world now consists of a matrix of natural forests, managed forests, agricultural cropland, and urbanized plots. Expansion of domestic energy production efforts in the United States is one driver predicted to influence future land-use and land management practices across large spatial scales. Favorable growing conditions make the southeastern United States an ideal location for producing a large portion of the country's renewable bioenergy. We investigated patterns of bat occurrence in two bioenergy feedstocks commonly grown in this region (corn, Zea mays, and pine, Pinus taeda and P. elliottii). We also evaluated potential impacts of the three major pathways of woody biomass extraction (residue removal following clearcut harvest, short-rotation energy plantations, and mid-rotation forest thinning) to bat occurrence through a priori land-use contrasts. We acoustically sampled bat vocalizations at 84 sites in the Southeastern Plains and Southern Coastal Plains of the southeastern United States across three years. We found that mid-rotation thinning resulted in positive effects on bat occurrence, and potential conversion of unmanaged (reference) forest to managed forest for timber and/or bioenergy harvest resulted in negative effects on bat occurrence when effects were averaged across all species. The effects of short-rotation energy plantations, removal of logging residues from plantation clearcuts, and corn were equivocal for all bat species examined. Our results suggest that accelerated production of biomass for energy production through either corn or intensively managed pine forests is not likely to have an adverse effect on bat communities, so long as existing older unmanaged forests are not converted to managed bioenergy or timber plantations. Beyond bioenergy crop production, mid-rotation thinning of even-aged pine stands intended for timber production, increases to the duration of plantation rotations to promote older forest stands, arranging forest stands and crop fields to maximize edge habitat, and maintaining unmanaged forests could benefit bat communities by augmenting roosting and foraging opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly K Ober
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Gavin M Jones
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Isabel G W Gottlieb
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Shelly A Johnson
- UF/IFAS Extension, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
| | - Lora Smith
- Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center, Newton, Georgia, 39870, USA
| | - Berry J Brosi
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 30322, USA
| | - Robert J Fletcher
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, 32611, USA
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38
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Olival KJ, Cryan PM, Amman BR, Baric RS, Blehert DS, Brook CE, Calisher CH, Castle KT, Coleman JTH, Daszak P, Epstein JH, Field H, Frick WF, Gilbert AT, Hayman DTS, Ip HS, Karesh WB, Johnson CK, Kading RC, Kingston T, Lorch JM, Mendenhall IH, Peel AJ, Phelps KL, Plowright RK, Reeder DM, Reichard JD, Sleeman JM, Streicker DG, Towner JS, Wang LF. Possibility for reverse zoonotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to free-ranging wildlife: A case study of bats. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008758. [PMID: 32881980 PMCID: PMC7470399 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the substantial public health, economic, and societal consequences of virus spillover from a wildlife reservoir. Widespread human transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also presents a new set of challenges when considering viral spillover from people to naïve wildlife and other animal populations. The establishment of new wildlife reservoirs for SARS-CoV-2 would further complicate public health control measures and could lead to wildlife health and conservation impacts. Given the likely bat origin of SARS-CoV-2 and related beta-coronaviruses (β-CoVs), free-ranging bats are a key group of concern for spillover from humans back to wildlife. Here, we review the diversity and natural host range of β-CoVs in bats and examine the risk of humans inadvertently infecting free-ranging bats with SARS-CoV-2. Our review of the global distribution and host range of β-CoV evolutionary lineages suggests that 40+ species of temperate-zone North American bats could be immunologically naïve and susceptible to infection by SARS-CoV-2. We highlight an urgent need to proactively connect the wellbeing of human and wildlife health during the current pandemic and to implement new tools to continue wildlife research while avoiding potentially severe health and conservation impacts of SARS-CoV-2 "spilling back" into free-ranging bat populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin J. Olival
- EcoHealth Alliance, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Paul M. Cryan
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Ft. Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Brian R. Amman
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Ralph S. Baric
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - David S. Blehert
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Cara E. Brook
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Charles H. Calisher
- Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Kevin T. Castle
- Wildlife Veterinary Consulting, Livermore, Colorado, United States of America
| | | | - Peter Daszak
- EcoHealth Alliance, New York, New York, United States of America
| | | | - Hume Field
- EcoHealth Alliance, New York, New York, United States of America
- Bat Conservation International, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Winifred F. Frick
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, Gatton, Queensland, Australia
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Amy T. Gilbert
- US Department of Agriculture, National Wildlife Research Center, Ft. Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - David T. S. Hayman
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Hon S. Ip
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | | | - Christine K. Johnson
- One Health Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Rebekah C. Kading
- Arthropod-borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Tigga Kingston
- Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey M. Lorch
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Ian H. Mendenhall
- Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore
| | - Alison J. Peel
- Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
| | - Kendra L. Phelps
- EcoHealth Alliance, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Raina K. Plowright
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, United States of America
| | - DeeAnn M. Reeder
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | - Jonathan M. Sleeman
- US Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Daniel G. Streicker
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan S. Towner
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Lin-Fa Wang
- Programme in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, Singapore
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Lemieux-Labonté V, Dorville NASY, Willis CKR, Lapointe FJ. Antifungal Potential of the Skin Microbiota of Hibernating Big Brown Bats ( Eptesicus fuscus) Infected With the Causal Agent of White-Nose Syndrome. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:1776. [PMID: 32793178 PMCID: PMC7390961 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.01776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Little is known about skin microbiota in the context of the disease white-nose syndrome (WNS), caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), that has caused enormous declines of hibernating North American bats over the past decade. Interestingly, some hibernating species, such as the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), appear resistant to the disease and their skin microbiota could play a role. However, a comprehensive analysis of the skin microbiota of E. fuscus in the context of Pd has not been done. In January 2017, we captured hibernating E. fuscus, sampled their skin microbiota, and inoculated them with Pd or sham inoculum. We allowed the bats to hibernate in the lab under controlled conditions for 11 weeks and then sampled their skin microbiota to test the following hypotheses: (1) Pd infection would not disrupt the skin microbiota of Pd-resistant E. fuscus; and (2) microbial taxa with antifungal properties would be abundant both before and after inoculation with Pd. Using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we discovered that beta diversity of Pd-inoculated bats changed more over time than that of sham-inoculated bats. Still, the most abundant taxa in the community were stable throughout the experiment. Among the most abundant taxa, Pseudomonas and Rhodococcus are known for antifungal potential against Pd and other fungi. Thus, in contrast to hypothesis 1, Pd infection destabilized the skin microbiota but consistent with hypothesis 2, bacteria with known antifungal properties remained abundant and stable on the skin. This study is the first to provide a comprehensive survey of skin microbiota of E. fuscus, suggesting potential associations between the bat skin microbiota and resistance to the Pd infection and WNS. These results set the stage for future studies to characterize microbiota gene expression, better understand mechanisms of resistance to WNS, and help develop conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nicole A. S.-Y. Dorville
- Department of Biology, Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Craig K. R. Willis
- Department of Biology, Centre for Forest Interdisciplinary Research, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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Male reproductive morphofunctional evaluation of a Neotropical sperm-storing vespertilionid bat (Myotis levis) in an environmental context. Cell Tissue Res 2020; 382:639-656. [DOI: 10.1007/s00441-020-03242-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Abstract
For centuries, people believed that bats possessed sinister powers. Bats are thought to be ancestral hosts to many deadly viruses affecting humans including Ebola, rabies, and most recently SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, bats themselves tolerate these viruses without ill effects. The second power that bats have is their longevity. Bats live much longer than similar-sized land mammals. Here we review how bats' ability to control inflammation may be contributing to their longevity. The underlying mechanisms may hold clues to developing new treatments for age-related diseases. Now may be the time to use science to exploit the secret powers of bats for human benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Gorbunova
- Departments of Biology and Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA.
| | - Andrei Seluanov
- Departments of Biology and Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Brian K Kennedy
- Departments of Biochemistry and Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117596, Singapore; Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System, Singapore 117609, Singapore; Singapore Institute of Clinical Sciences, A(∗)STAR, Singapore 117609, Singapore.
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42
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Arias M, Gignoux-Wolfsohn S, Kerwin K, Maslo B. Use of Artificial Roost Boxes Installed as Alternative Habitat for Bats Evicted from Buildings. Northeast Nat (Steuben) 2020. [DOI: 10.1656/045.027.0203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Arias
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
| | - Sarah Gignoux-Wolfsohn
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
| | - Kathleen Kerwin
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
| | - Brooke Maslo
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 14 College Farm Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
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43
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Roeleke M, Blohm T, Hoffmeister U, Marggraf L, Schlägel UE, Teige T, Voigt CC. Landscape structure influences the use of social information in an insectivorous bat. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.07158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Roeleke
- Leibniz Inst. for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 DE‐10315 Berlin Germany
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Univ. Potsdam Am Mühlenweg 3 DE‐14467 Potsdam Germany
| | - Torsten Blohm
- Honorary bat conservationist Prenzlau OT Schönwerder Germany
| | - Uwe Hoffmeister
- Natura Büro für Zoologische und Botanische Fachgutachten Schulzendorf Germany
| | - Lara Marggraf
- Leibniz Inst. for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 DE‐10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Ulrike E. Schlägel
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, Univ. Potsdam Am Mühlenweg 3 DE‐14467 Potsdam Germany
| | - Tobias Teige
- Büro für Faunistisch‐Ökologische Fachgutachten Berlin Germany
| | - Christian C. Voigt
- Leibniz Inst. for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 DE‐10315 Berlin Germany
- Inst. of Biology, Freie Univ. Berlin Berlin Germany
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44
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Cohen Y, Bar-David S, Nielsen M, Bohmann K, Korine C. An appetite for pests: Synanthropic insectivorous bats exploit cotton pest irruptions and consume various deleterious arthropods. Mol Ecol 2020; 29:1185-1198. [PMID: 32153071 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Conservation biological control (CBC) seeks to minimize the deleterious effects of agricultural pests by enhancing the efficiency of natural enemies. Despite the documented potential of insectivorous bats to consume pests, many synanthropic bat species are still underappreciated as beneficial species. We investigated the diet of Kuhl's pipistrelle (Pipistrellus kuhlii), a common synanthropic insectivorous bat that forages in urban and agricultural areas, to determine whether it may function as a natural enemy in CBC. Faecal samples of P. kuhlii were collected throughout the cotton-growing season from five roost sites near cotton fields located in a Mediterranean agroecosystem, Israel, and analyzed using DNA metabarcoding. Additionally, data on estimated abundance of major cotton pests were collected. We found that the diet of P. kuhlii significantly varied according to sites and dates and comprised 27 species of agricultural pests that were found in 77.2% of the samples, including pests of key economic concern. The dominant prey was the widespread cotton pest, the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella, found in 31% of the samples and in all the roosts. Pink bollworm abundance was positively correlated with its occurrence in the bat diet. Furthermore, the bats' dietary breadth narrowed, while temporal dietary overlap increased, in relation to increasing frequencies of pink bollworms in the diet. This suggests that P. kuhlii exploits pink bollworm irruptions by opportunistic feeding. We suggest that synanthropic bats provide important pest suppression services, may function as CBC agents of cotton pests and potentially contribute to suppress additional deleterious arthropods found in their diet in high frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuval Cohen
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Shirli Bar-David
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Martin Nielsen
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kristine Bohmann
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carmi Korine
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
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Kaunisto KM, Roslin T, Forbes MR, Morrill A, Sääksjärvi IE, Puisto AIE, Lilley TM, Vesterinen EJ. Threats from the air: Damselfly predation on diverse prey taxa. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1365-1374. [PMID: 32124439 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
To understand the diversity and strength of predation in natural communities, researchers must quantify the total amount of prey species in the diet of predators. Metabarcoding approaches have allowed widespread characterization of predator diets with high taxonomic resolution. To determine the wider impacts of predators, researchers should combine DNA techniques with estimates of population size of predators using mark-release-recapture (MRR) methods, and with accurate metrics of food consumption by individuals. Herein, we estimate the scale of predation exerted by four damselfly species on diverse prey taxa within a well-defined 12-ha study area, resolving the prey species of individual damselflies, to what extent the diets of predatory species overlap, and which fraction of the main prey populations are consumed. We identify the taxonomic composition of diets using DNA metabarcoding and quantify damselfly population sizes by MRR. We also use predator-specific estimates of consumption rates, and independent data on prey emergence rates to estimate the collective predation pressure summed over all prey taxa and specific to their main prey (non-biting midges or chironomids) of the four damselfly species. The four damselfly species collectively consumed a prey mass equivalent to roughly 870 (95% CL 410-1,800) g, over 2 months. Each individual consumed 29%-66% (95% CL 9.4-123) of its body weight during its relatively short life span (2.1-4.7 days; 95% CL 0.74-7.9) in the focal population. This predation pressure was widely distributed across the local invertebrate prey community, including 4 classes, 19 orders and c. 140 genera. Different predator species showed extensive overlap in diets, with an average of 30% of prey shared by at least two predator species. Of the available prey individuals in the widely consumed family Chironomidae, only a relatively small proportion (0.76%; 95% CL 0.35%-1.61%) were consumed. Our synthesis of population sizes, per-capita consumption rates and taxonomic distribution of diets identifies damselflies as a comparatively minor predator group of aerial insects. As the next step, we should add estimates of predation by larger odonate species, and experimental removal of odonates, thereby establishing the full impact of odonate predation on prey communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kari M Kaunisto
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mark R Forbes
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Andre Morrill
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ilari E Sääksjärvi
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Anna I E Puisto
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Thomas M Lilley
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eero J Vesterinen
- Zoological Museum, Biodiversity Unit, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.,Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Rapid Biodiversity Sampling for Bat Assemblages in Northwestern Nevada. JOURNAL OF FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT 2020. [DOI: 10.3996/022019-jfwm-009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Bat (Chiroptera) assemblages in the western North America remain understudied despite their importance to ecosystem function and vulnerability to multiple anthropogenic stressors. We present the first large-scale survey that we are aware of for bat fauna in the Black Rock Plateau of northwestern Nevada in the northern Great Basin Desert. We conducted surveys using both acoustic and mist net methods, documenting 14 species across 19 sites sampled during a four-night period in August 2016. We surveyed over water sources, usually surrounded by cliff and canyon habitat, and in salt desert scrub, sagebrush, and woodland habitats, detecting multiple sensitive bat species (spotted bat Euderma maculatum, little brown bat Myotis lucifugus, canyon bat Parastrellus hesperus) in the canyon habitats of the High Rock region. We analyzed regional species diversity and present the utility of using multiple detection methods to enhance understanding of Chiroptera biodiversity at both local and regional scales. Our results demonstrate the utility of “BioBlitz” approaches in documenting local and regional diversity and provide insight into areas with species assemblages or vulnerable species. Knowledge of these sites is increasingly important for future disease surveillance and population monitoring.
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Systematic Review of the Roost-Site Characteristics of North American Forest Bats: Implications for Conservation. DIVERSITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/d12020076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Continued declines in North American bat populations can be largely attributed to habitat loss, disease, and wind turbines. These declines can be partially mitigated through actions that boost reproductive success; therefore, management aimed at promoting availability of high-quality roosting habitat is an important conservation goal. Following the principles of the umbrella species concept, if co-occurring species share similar roost-tree preferences, then management practices targeting one species may confer conservation benefits to another. We conducted a systematic review of roost-site characteristics of thirteen species inhabiting eastern temperate forests to: (1) synthesize existing knowledge across species; (2) assess niche overlap among co-occurring species; and (3) evaluate the potential for currently protected species to serve as conservation umbrellas. We performed multivariate ordination techniques to group species based on the seven most-reported roost-site characteristics, including tree species, diameter at breast height, tree health, roost type, tree height, canopy closure, and roost height. Species sorted into three roosting guilds: (1) southern wetland inhabitants; (2) foliage specialists; and (3) dead tree generalists. Myotis septentrionalis and Perimyotis subflavus had significant roost-niche overlap with five and four other species respectively, and their existing protections make them suitable umbrellas for other bats in the North American eastern temperate forests.
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48
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Species richness and activity of insectivorous bats in cotton fields in semi-arid and mesic Mediterranean agroecosystems. Mamm Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-019-00002-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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49
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黄 太. A Preliminary Investigation of Cave-Dwelling Bats in Huichuan of Zunyi, Guizhou Province. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.12677/ije.2020.93029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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50
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Kolkert H, Andrew R, Smith R, Rader R, Reid N. Insectivorous bats selectively source moths and eat mostly pest insects on dryland and irrigated cotton farms. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:371-388. [PMID: 31988733 PMCID: PMC6972826 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Insectivorous bats are efficient predators of pest arthropods in agroecosystems. This pest control service has been estimated to be worth billions of dollars to agriculture globally. However, few studies have explicitly investigated the composition and abundance of dietary prey items consumed or assessed the ratio of pest and beneficial arthropods, making it difficult to evaluate the quality of the pest control service provided. In this study, we used metabarcoding to identify the prey items eaten by insectivorous bats over the cotton-growing season in an intensive cropping region in northern New South Wales, Australia. We found that seven species of insectivorous bat (n = 58) consumed 728 prey species, 13 of which represented around 50% of total prey abundance consumed. Importantly, the identified prey items included major arthropod pests, comprising 65% of prey relative abundance and 13% of prey species recorded. Significant cotton pests such as Helicoverpa punctigera (Australian bollworm) and Achyra affinitalis (cotton webspinner) were detected in at least 76% of bat fecal samples, with Teleogryllus oceanicus (field crickets), Helicoverpa armigera (cotton bollworm), and Crocidosema plebejana (cotton tipworm) detected in 55% of bat fecal samples. Our results indicate that insectivorous bats are selective predators that exploit a narrow selection of preferred pest taxa and potentially play an important role in controlling lepidopteran pests on cotton farms. Our study provides crucial information for farmers to determine the service or disservice provided by insectivorous bats in relation to crops, for on-farm decision making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Kolkert
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Rose Andrew
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Rhiannon Smith
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Romina Rader
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
| | - Nick Reid
- Ecosystem ManagementSchool of Environmental and Rural ScienceUniversity of New EnglandArmidaleNSWAustralia
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