1
|
Carneiro LDO, Mellado B, Nogueira MR, Cruz-Neto APD, Monteiro LR. Flight performance and wing morphology in the bat Carollia perspicillata: biophysical models and energetics. Integr Zool 2023; 18:876-890. [PMID: 36610047 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12707] [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] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Studies on functional performance are important to understand the processes responsible for the evolution of diversity. Morphological trait variation within species influences the energetic cost of locomotion and impacts life history traits, with ecological and evolutionary consequences. This study examined wing morphology correlates of flight performance measured by energetic expenditure in the Seba's short-tailed bat, Carollia perspicillata. In the flight experiments, nature caught bats (59 females, 57 males) were allowed to fly for 3 min in a room. After each flight, thermographic images were taken to measure body temperature, and biophysical models were used to calculate sensible heat loss as a measure of energetic expenditure. Wing morphological traits were measured for each individual and associated with heat loss and power required to fly on performance surfaces. Wing morphological traits explained 7-10% of flight energetic cost, and morphologies with the best performance would save the energy equivalent to 9-30% of total daily requirements. The optimal performance areas within the C. perspicillata morphospace were consistent with predicted selection trends from the literature. A trade-off between demands for flight speed and maneuverability was observed. Wing loading and camber presented sexual dimorphism. These morphological differences are likely associated with more economical but less maneuverable flight in females, leading them to fly more often in open areas along the forest edge. Our findings demonstrate how small scale changes in wing morphology can affect life history strategies and fitness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas de Oliveira Carneiro
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Breno Mellado
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | - Marcelo Rodrigues Nogueira
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| | | | - Leandro Rabello Monteiro
- Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Rummel AD, Swartz SM, Marsh RL, Faure PA. A comparison of thermal sensitivities of wing muscle contractile properties from a temperate and tropical bat species. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:jeb243987. [PMID: 35546297 PMCID: PMC9234497 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243987] [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: 01/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Endotherms experience temperature variation among body regions, or regional heterothermy, despite maintaining high core body temperatures. Bat forelimbs are elongated to function as wings, which makes them vulnerable to heat loss and exaggerates regional heterothermy. A tropical bat species, Carollia perspicillata, flies with distal wing muscles that are substantially (>10°C) cooler than proximal wing muscles and significantly less temperature sensitive. We hypothesized that the difference between proximal and distal wing muscles would be even more extreme in a temperate bat species that is capable of flight at variable environmental temperatures. We measured the contractile properties of the proximal pectoralis muscle and distal extensor carpi radialis muscle at a range of temperatures in the big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, and compared their thermal dependence with that of the same muscles in C. perspicillata. We found that, overall, temperature sensitivities between species were remarkably similar. The sole exception was the shortening velocity of the pectoralis muscle in E. fuscus, which was less temperature sensitive than in C. perspicillata. This decreased temperature sensitivity in a proximal muscle runs counter to our prediction. We suggest that the relative lability of body temperature in E. fuscus may make better pectoralis function at low temperatures advantageous.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea D. Rummel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
| | - Sharon M. Swartz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
| | - Richard L. Marsh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02906, USA
| | - Paul A. Faure
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behavior, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rubalcaba JG, Gouveia SF, Villalobos F, Cruz-Neto AP, Castro MG, Amado TF, Martinez PA, Navas CA, Dobrovolski R, Diniz-Filho JAF, Olalla-Tárraga MÁ. Physical constraints on thermoregulation and flight drive morphological evolution in bats. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2103745119. [PMID: 35377801 PMCID: PMC9169619 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2103745119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Body size and shape fundamentally determine organismal energy requirements by modulating heat and mass exchange with the environment and the costs of locomotion, thermoregulation, and maintenance. Ecologists have long used the physical linkage between morphology and energy balance to explain why the body size and shape of many organisms vary across climatic gradients, e.g., why larger endotherms are more common in colder regions. However, few modeling exercises have aimed at investigating this link from first principles. Body size evolution in bats contrasts with the patterns observed in other endotherms, probably because physical constraints on flight limit morphological adaptations. Here, we develop a biophysical model based on heat transfer and aerodynamic principles to investigate energy constraints on morphological evolution in bats. Our biophysical model predicts that the energy costs of thermoregulation and flight, respectively, impose upper and lower limits on the relationship of wing surface area to body mass (S-MR), giving rise to an optimal S-MR at which both energy costs are minimized. A comparative analysis of 278 species of bats supports the model’s prediction that S-MR evolves toward an optimal shape and that the strength of selection is higher among species experiencing greater energy demands for thermoregulation in cold climates. Our study suggests that energy costs modulate the mode of morphological evolution in bats—hence shedding light on a long-standing debate over bats’ conformity to ecogeographical patterns observed in other mammals—and offers a procedure for investigating complex macroecological patterns from first principles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juan G. Rubalcaba
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 1B1, Canada
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Sidney F. Gouveia
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, 49100-000 Sergipe, Brazil
| | | | - Ariovaldo P. Cruz-Neto
- Departamento de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, 13506‐900 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Mario G. Castro
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Talita F. Amado
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Pablo A. Martinez
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, 49100-000 Sergipe, Brazil
| | - Carlos A. Navas
- Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Biociência, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-090 São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Dobrovolski
- Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia, 40170-115 Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | | | - Miguel Á. Olalla-Tárraga
- Departamento de Biología y Geología, Física y Química Inorgánica, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Rummel AD, Swartz SM, Marsh RL. A proximal-distal difference in bat wing muscle thermal sensitivity parallels a difference in operating temperatures along the wing. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210009. [PMID: 33975475 PMCID: PMC8113918 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Flight is a demanding form of locomotion, requiring fast activation and relaxation in wing muscles to produce the necessary wingbeat frequencies. Bats maintain high body temperatures during flight, but their wing muscles cool under typical environmental conditions. Because distal wing muscles are colder during flight than proximal muscles, we hypothesized that they would be less temperature sensitive to compensate for temperature effects, resulting in proximal-distal differences in temperature sensitivity that match differences in muscle operating temperature. We measured contractile rates across temperatures in the proximal pectoralis muscle and an interosseous in the handwing of Carollia perspicillata, a small neotropical fruit bat, and compared their thermal dependence with that of a forearm muscle measured in a previous study. We found that the contractile properties of the pectoralis were significantly more temperature sensitive than those of the distal muscles. This suggests that cooling of the distal wing muscles imposes a selective pressure on muscle contractile function which has led to shifts in temperature sensitivity. This study is the first to demonstrate differences in temperature sensitivity along the length of a single limb in an endotherm and suggests that temperature variation may be underappreciated as a determinant of locomotor performance in endotherms generally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea D. Rummel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sharon M. Swartz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Richard L. Marsh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Shute KE, Loeb SC, Jachowski DS. Seasonal Shifts in Nocturnal Habitat Use by Coastal Bat Species. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kyle E. Shute
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation Clemson University 261 Lehotsky Hall Clemson SC 29631 USA
| | - Susan C. Loeb
- USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, 233 Lehotsky Hall Clemson University Clemson SC 29631 USA
| | - David S. Jachowski
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation Clemson University 261 Lehotsky Hall Clemson SC 29631 USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Theobald E, Hosken DJ, Foster P, Moyes K. Mines and Bats: the Impact of Open-Pit Mining on Bat Activity. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2020. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2020.22.1.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emma Theobald
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - David J. Hosken
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Foster
- Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| | - Kelly Moyes
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Wang M, Chen K, Guo D, Luo B, Wang W, Gao H, Liu Y, Feng J. Ambient temperature correlates with geographic variation in body size of least horseshoe bats. Curr Zool 2020; 66:459-465. [PMID: 33293926 PMCID: PMC7705506 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Geographic variation in body size is common within many animal species. The causes of this pattern, however, remain largely unexplored in most vertebrate groups. Bats are widely distributed globally owing to their ability of powered flight. Most bat species encounter a variety of climatic conditions across their distribution range, making them an ideal taxon for the study of ecogeographic patterns in body size. Here, we used adult least horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus pusillus, to test whether geographic variation in body size was determined by heat conservation, heat dissipation, climatic seasonality, or primary productivity. We measured body mass and head-body length for 246 adult bats from 12 allopatric colonies in China. We quantified the ecological conditions inhabited by each colony, including mean maximum temperature of the warmest month, mean minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature seasonality, precipitation seasonality, and annual net primary productivity (ANPP). Body mass and head-body length, 2 of the most reliable indicators of body size, exhibited marked differences between colonies. After controlling for spatial autocorrelation, the mean minimum temperature of the coldest month explained most of the variation in body size among colonies, regardless of sex. The mean maximum temperature, climatic seasonality, and ANPP had limited power in predicting body size of males or females in comparison with mean minimum temperature. These results support the heat conservation hypothesis and suggest adaptive responses of body size to cold climates in cave-dwelling bats.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Man Wang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China.,Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, 1# Shida Road, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Kelly Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, 2001 S. Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Dongge Guo
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Bo Luo
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China.,Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, 1# Shida Road, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Weiwei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, 1# Shida Road, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Huimin Gao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation of Ministry of Education, China West Normal University, 1# Shida Road, Nanchong 637009, China
| | - Ying Liu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China.,College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng street, Changchun 130118, China
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Rummel AD, Swartz SM, Marsh RL. Warm bodies, cool wings: regional heterothermy in flying bats. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190530. [PMID: 31506035 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many endothermic animals experience variable limb temperatures, even as they tightly regulate core temperature. The limbs are often cooler than the core at rest, but because the large locomotor muscles of the limbs produce heat during exercise, they are thought to operate at or above core temperature during activity. Bats, small-bodied flying mammals with greatly elongated forelimbs, possess wings with large surfaces lacking any insulating fur. We hypothesized that during flight the relatively small muscles that move the elbow and wrist operate below core body temperature because of elevated heat loss. We measured muscle temperature continuously in the small fruit bat Carollia perspicillata before and during wind tunnel flights, and discretely in diverse bats at rest in Belize. We found that bats maintained high rectal temperatures, but that there was a steep proximal-to-distal gradient in wing muscle temperature. Forearm muscles were 4-6°C cooler than rectal temperature at rest and approximately 12°C cooler during flights at an air temperature of 22°C. These findings invite further study into how bats and other endotherms maintain locomotor performance in variable environments, when some muscles may be operating at low temperatures that are expected to slow contractile properties.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea D Rummel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sharon M Swartz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.,School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Richard L Marsh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Rummel AD, Swartz SM, Marsh RL. Low thermal dependence of the contractile properties of a wing muscle in the bat Carollia perspicillata. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 221:jeb.180166. [PMID: 29844201 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.180166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Temperature affects contractile rate properties in muscle, which may affect locomotor performance. Endotherms are known to maintain high core body temperatures, but temperatures in the periphery of the body can fluctuate. Such a phenomenon occurs in bats, whose wing musculature is relatively poorly insulated, resulting in substantially depressed temperatures in the distal wing. We examined a wing muscle in the small-bodied tropical bat Carollia perspicillata and a hindlimb muscle in the laboratory mouse at 5°C intervals from 22 to 42°C to determine the thermal dependence of the contractile properties of both muscles. We found that the bat extensor carpi radialis longus had low thermal dependence from near body temperature to 10°C lower, with Q10 values of less than 1.5 for relaxation from contraction and shortening velocities in that interval, and with no significant difference in some rate properties in the interval between 32 and 37°C. In contrast, for all temperature intervals below 37°C, Q10 values for the mouse extensor digitorum longus were 1.5 or higher, and rate properties differed significantly across successive temperature intervals from 37 to 22°C. An ANCOVA analysis found that the thermal dependencies of all measured isometric and isotonic rate processes were significantly different between the bat and mouse muscles. The relatively low thermal dependence of the bat muscle likely represents a downward shift of its optimal temperature and may be functionally significant in light of the variable operating temperatures of bat wing muscles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea D Rummel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Sharon M Swartz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.,School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Richard L Marsh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Klüg-Baerwald B, Gower L, Lausen C, Brigham R. Environmental correlates and energetics of winter flight by bats in southern Alberta, Canada. CAN J ZOOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2016-0055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Winter activity of bats is common, yet poorly understood. Other studies suggest a relationship between winter activity and ambient temperature, particularly temperature at sunset. We recorded echolocation calls to determine correlates of hourly bat activity in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. We documented bat activity in temperatures as low as −10.4 °C. We observed big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1796)) flying at colder temperatures than species of Myotis bats (genus Myotis Kaup, 1829). We show that temperature and wind are important predictors of winter activity by E. fuscus and Myotis, and that Myotis may also use changes in barometric pressure to cue activity. In the absence of foraging opportunity, we suggest these environmental factors relate to heat loss and thus the energetic cost of flight. To understand the energetic consequences of bat flight in cold temperatures, we estimated energy expenditure during winter flights of E. fuscus and little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus (Le Conte, 1831)) using species-specific parameters. We estimated that winter flight uses considerable fat stores and that flight thermogenesis could mitigate energetic costs by 20% or more. We also show that temperature-dependent interspecific differences in winter activity likely stem from differences between species in heat loss and potential for activity–thermoregulatory heat substitution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- B.J. Klüg-Baerwald
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - L.E. Gower
- School of Biosciences, Sir Martin Evans Building, Cardiff University, Museum Avenue, Cardiff CF10 3AX, United Kingdom
| | - C.L. Lausen
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, P.O. Box 606, Kaslo, BC V0G 1M0, Canada
| | - R.M. Brigham
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Li H, Wilkins KT. Selection of Building Roosts by Mexican Free-Tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) in an Urban Area. ACTA CHIROPTEROLOGICA 2015. [DOI: 10.3161/15081109acc2015.17.2.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
12
|
Pollock T, Moreno CR, Sánchez L, Ceballos-Vasquez A, Faure PA, Mora EC. Wound healing in the flight membranes of wild big brown bats. J Wildl Manage 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler Pollock
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour; McMaster University; 1280 Main Street West Hamilton ON L8S 4K1 Canada
| | - Christian R. Moreno
- Department of Animal and Human Biology; Havana University; 455-25 Street Havana 10400 Cuba
| | - Lida Sánchez
- Department of Animal and Human Biology; Havana University; 455-25 Street Havana 10400 Cuba
| | - Alejandra Ceballos-Vasquez
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour; McMaster University; 1280 Main Street West Hamilton ON L8S 4K1 Canada
| | - Paul A. Faure
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour; McMaster University; 1280 Main Street West Hamilton ON L8S 4K1 Canada
| | - Emanuel C. Mora
- Department of Animal and Human Biology; Havana University; 455-25 Street Havana 10400 Cuba
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Bender MJ, Hartman GD. Bat Activity Increases with Barometric Pressure and Temperature during Autumn in Central Georgia. SOUTHEAST NAT 2015. [DOI: 10.1656/058.014.0203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
|
14
|
Hayman DTS, Bowen RA, Cryan PM, McCracken GF, O'Shea TJ, Peel AJ, Gilbert A, Webb CT, Wood JLN. Ecology of zoonotic infectious diseases in bats: current knowledge and future directions. Zoonoses Public Health 2013; 60:2-21. [PMID: 22958281 PMCID: PMC3600532 DOI: 10.1111/zph.12000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2011] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Bats are hosts to a range of zoonotic and potentially zoonotic pathogens. Human activities that increase exposure to bats will likely increase the opportunity for infections to spill over in the future. Ecological drivers of pathogen spillover and emergence in novel hosts, including humans, involve a complex mixture of processes, and understanding these complexities may aid in predicting spillover. In particular, only once the pathogen and host ecologies are known can the impacts of anthropogenic changes be fully appreciated. Cross-disciplinary approaches are required to understand how host and pathogen ecology interact. Bats differ from other sylvatic disease reservoirs because of their unique and diverse lifestyles, including their ability to fly, often highly gregarious social structures, long lifespans and low fecundity rates. We highlight how these traits may affect infection dynamics and how both host and pathogen traits may interact to affect infection dynamics. We identify key questions relating to the ecology of infectious diseases in bats and propose that a combination of field and laboratory studies are needed to create data-driven mechanistic models to elucidate those aspects of bat ecology that are most critical to the dynamics of emerging bat viruses. If commonalities can be found, then predicting the dynamics of newly emerging diseases may be possible. This modelling approach will be particularly important in scenarios when population surveillance data are unavailable and when it is unclear which aspects of host ecology are driving infection dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- D T S Hayman
- Disease Dynamics Unit, Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Voigt CC. Bat flight with bad wings: is flight metabolism affected by damaged wing membranes? J Exp Biol 2013; 216:1516-21. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.079509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Summary
Infection of North American bats with the keratin-digesting fungus Geomyces destructans often result in holes and ruptures of wing membranes, yet it is unknown if flight performance and metabolism of bats are altered by such injuries. I conducted flight experiments in a circular flight arena in Myotis albescens and M. nigricans where I observed individuals with intact or ruptured trailing edge of one of the plagiopatagial membranes. In both species, individuals with damaged wings were lighter, had a higher aspect ratio (squared wing span divided by wing area) and an increased wing loading (weight divided by wing area) than conspecifics with intact wings. Bats with an asymmetric reduction of the wing area flew at similar speeds but performed less flight manoeuvres than conspecifics with intact wings. Individuals with damaged wings showed lower metabolic rates during flight than conspecifics with intact wings, even when controlling for body mass differences; the difference in mass-specific metabolic rates may be attributable to the lower number of flight manoeuvres (U-turns) by bats with damaged wings compared to conspecifics with intact wings. Possibly, bats compensated an asymmetric reduction in wing area by lowering their body mass and avoiding flight manoeuvres. In conclusion, bats may not suffer directly from moderate wing damages by experiencing increased metabolic rates but indirectly by a reduced manoeuvrability and foraging success. This could impede a bat's ability to gain sufficient body mass before hibernation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christian C. Voigt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Freie Universität, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Muñoz-Garcia A, Ro J, Reichard JD, Kunz TH, Williams JB. Cutaneous water loss and lipids of the stratum corneum in two syntopic species of bats. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2012; 161:208-15. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2011.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Revised: 10/26/2011] [Accepted: 10/28/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022]
|
17
|
Reichard JD, Kunz TH, Keller C, Prajapati SI. Vascular Contrast Enhanced Micro-CT Imaging of “Radiators” in the Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida Brasiliensis). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2012; 295:563-6. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2011] [Accepted: 11/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
|
18
|
Fuller NW, Reichard JD, Nabhan ML, Fellows SR, Pepin LC, Kunz TH. Free-ranging little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) heal from wing damage associated with white-nose syndrome. ECOHEALTH 2011; 8:154-62. [PMID: 21922344 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-011-0705-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2011] [Revised: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 08/16/2011] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is having an unprecedented impact on hibernating bat populations in the eastern United States. While most studies have focused on widespread mortality observed at winter hibernacula, few have examined the consequences of wing damage that has been observed among those bats that survive hibernation. Given that WNS-related wing damage may lead to life-threatening changes in wing function, we tested the hypothesis that reduced abundance of free-ranging little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) with severe wing damage as the summer progresses is due to healing of wing tissue. Photographs of captured and recaptured adult females were examined for wing damage and healing rates were calculated for each category of wing damage index (WDI = 0-3). We found that free-ranging bats with severe wing damage were able to heal to a lower WDI score within 2 weeks. Bats with the most severe wing damage had faster healing rates than did individuals with less damage. We also found a significant relationship between body condition and WDI for adult females captured in the early weeks of the active season. Our results support the hypothesis that some bats can heal from severe wing damage during the active season, and thus may not experience increased mortality associated with reduced functions of wings. We urge researchers and wildlife managers to use caution when interpreting data on WDI to assess the impact of WNS on bat populations, especially during the later months of the active season.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Fuller
- Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Str, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|