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Rainho A, Ferreira DF, Makori B, Bartonjo M, Repas-Gonçalves M, Kirakou S, Maghuwa F, Webala PW, Tomé R. Guild Vertical Stratification and Drivers of Bat Foraging in a Semi-Arid Tropical Region, Kenya. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1116. [PMID: 37627000 PMCID: PMC10452385 DOI: 10.3390/biology12081116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
Africa faces significant challenges in reconciling economic and social development while preserving its natural resources. Little is known about the diverse bat community on the continent, particularly in drier ecosystems. A better understanding of the bat community will help improve and inform the management of these ecosystems. Our study aimed to provide detailed information on the main drivers of bat richness and activity at three different heights above the ground in a semi-arid region of Kenya. We assessed how bat activity varied with space and height using acoustic sampling and complementary methods. We sampled 48 sites at ground level and two sites on meteorological masts at 20 m and 35 m above the ground. We recorded more than 20 bat species, including one species of concern for conservation. Our models showed that the use of space varies with bat guild, creating trade-offs in the variables that affect their activity. Low-flying bat species are mostly associated with habitat variables, whereas high-flying species are more dependent on weather conditions. Our study highlights the richness of bat assemblages in semi-arid environments and emphasizes the need for management measures to protect bat diversity in the face of habitat degradation caused by climate change, land management, and development projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rainho
- cE3c—Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE—Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Departamento de Biologia Animal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Diogo F. Ferreira
- CIBIO-InBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, University of Porto, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Beryl Makori
- The Pangolin Project, P.O. Box 15156, Langata 00509, Kenya
| | - Michael Bartonjo
- Mammalogy Section, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | | | - Stanley Kirakou
- Environment and Sustainable Development Department, Kenya Electricity Generating Company, P.O. Box 47936, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Florah Maghuwa
- Environment and Sustainable Development Department, Kenya Electricity Generating Company, P.O. Box 47936, Nairobi 00100, Kenya
| | - Paul W. Webala
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Maasai Mara University, P.O. Box 861, Narok 20500, Kenya
| | - Ricardo Tomé
- The Biodiversity Consultancy, 3E King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 1SJ, UK
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Pekar JE, Lytras S, Ghafari M, Magee AF, Parker E, Havens JL, Katzourakis A, Vasylyeva TI, Suchard MA, Hughes AC, Hughes J, Robertson DL, Dellicour S, Worobey M, Wertheim JO, Lemey P. The recency and geographical origins of the bat viruses ancestral to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.07.12.548617. [PMID: 37502985 PMCID: PMC10369958 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.12.548617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV in 2002 and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 has led to increased sampling of related sarbecoviruses circulating primarily in horseshoe bats. These viruses undergo frequent recombination and exhibit spatial structuring across Asia. Employing recombination-aware phylogenetic inference on bat sarbecoviruses, we find that the closest-inferred bat virus ancestors of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 existed just ~1-3 years prior to their emergence in humans. Phylogeographic analyses examining the movement of related sarbecoviruses demonstrate that they traveled at similar rates to their horseshoe bat hosts and have been circulating for thousands of years in Asia. The closest-inferred bat virus ancestor of SARS-CoV likely circulated in western China, and that of SARS-CoV-2 likely circulated in a region comprising southwest China and northern Laos, both a substantial distance from where they emerged. This distance and recency indicate that the direct ancestors of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 could not have reached their respective sites of emergence via the bat reservoir alone. Our recombination-aware dating and phylogeographic analyses reveal a more accurate inference of evolutionary history than performing only whole-genome or single gene analyses. These results can guide future sampling efforts and demonstrate that viral genomic fragments extremely closely related to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 were circulating in horseshoe bats, confirming their importance as the reservoir species for SARS viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan E Pekar
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Spyros Lytras
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Mahan Ghafari
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Andrew F Magee
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Edyth Parker
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Jennifer L Havens
- Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | | | - Tetyana I Vasylyeva
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Marc A Suchard
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Computational Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Alice C Hughes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- China Biodiversity Green Development Foundation, Beijing, China
| | - Joseph Hughes
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
| | - David L Robertson
- Medical Research Council-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, UK
- These authors jointly supervised the work
| | - Simon Dellicour
- Spatial Epidemiology Lab (SpELL), Université Libre de Bruxelles, CP160/12, 50 av. FD Roosevelt, 1050, Bruxelles, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- These authors jointly supervised the work
| | - Michael Worobey
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
- These authors jointly supervised the work
| | - Joel O Wertheim
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- These authors jointly supervised the work
| | - Philippe Lemey
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute, Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- These authors jointly supervised the work
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Iannella M, Masciulli U, Cerasoli F, Di Musciano M, Biondi M. Assessing future shifts in habitat suitability and connectivity to old-growth forests to support the conservation of the endangered giant noctule. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14446. [PMID: 36518268 PMCID: PMC9744155 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Suitable climate and availability of habitats for roosting, foraging, and dispersing are critical for the long-term persistence of bat species. The giant noctule (Nyctalus lasiopterus) represents one of the lesser-known European bats, especially regarding the environmental factors which shape its distribution. Methodology We integrated climate-based ecological niche models with information about topography and rivers' network to model weighted suitability for N. lasiopterus in the western Palearctic. The weighted suitability map was then used to estimate connectivity among the distinct occurrence localities of N. lasiopterus, as well as from these latter towards European old-growth forests, under current conditions and different combinations of future timeframes (2030, 2050, 2070) and shared socioeconomic pathways (SSPs 3.70 and 5.85). Results Current weighted suitability is highest in Andalusia, northern Iberia, southwestern France, peninsular Italy, coastal Balkans and Anatolia, with dispersed suitable patches elsewhere. A north-eastward shift of weighted suitability emerges in the considered future scenarios, especially under SSP 5.85. The major current ecological corridors for N. lasiopterus are predicted within a 'belt' connecting northern Spain and southwestern France, as well as in the Italian Alps. However, following changes in weighted suitability, connectivity would increase in central-eastern Europe in the future. The bioclimatic niche of the western N. lasiopterus populations does not overlap with those of the central and eastern ones, and it only overlaps with climatic conditions characterizing old-growth forests in western Europe. Conclusions The outcomes of our analyses would help in designing specific conservation measures for the distinct groups of giant noctule populations, favoring the possibility of range expansion and movement towards forested habitats.
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