Spring Break
Fungus endangers U.S. bat colonies
Issue date: 4/30/09
The cave closures, which are intended to stop the spread of the disease, are being practiced in close collaboration with the caving community. The National Speleological Society, a prominent caving organization, and other local caving groups have mobilized to raise funds, increase public awareness and keep people out of caves to give hibernating bats a fighting chance when they emerge this spring.
Hypotheses that explain the aggressive spread of WNS suggest that affected bats may become predisposed to the disease because of insufficient fat reserves for hibernation, caused by poor summer feeding and the bio-accumulation of agricultural pesticides. These factors decrease immune system strength and make the bats much more susceptible to the fungus.
Bats present with symptoms that include average body weight reduction, emaciation of white and brown fat reserves, flying during the day and moving to colder areas of the caves in which they hibernate. Bats with WNS have been observed staying in cave areas which are several degrees colder than the normal hibernation space, dangerous during the long winter when energy needs to be carefully conserved.
Furthermore, this type of fungus, of the Geomyces genus, normally thrives in colder environments, exacerbating the bats' condition. Scientists are not yet sure what makes the fungus so lethal to these bat colonies. Some have hypothesized that a combination of environmental and biological factors are at work.
Most of the bats that have been afflicted by WNS die from starvation, which suggests that the fungus causes the bats to expend too much energy during the hibernation period.
Bats are crucial to their ecosystems for their roles in pollination, seed dispersal and insect control. As the second-most diverse mammal in the world, bat populations have evolved to fulfill a range of ecological community functions.
For now, a challenging puzzle remains to solve the mystery of White-Nose Syndrome causation and determine the most effective treatment for bat colonies.
Hypotheses that explain the aggressive spread of WNS suggest that affected bats may become predisposed to the disease because of insufficient fat reserves for hibernation, caused by poor summer feeding and the bio-accumulation of agricultural pesticides. These factors decrease immune system strength and make the bats much more susceptible to the fungus.
Bats present with symptoms that include average body weight reduction, emaciation of white and brown fat reserves, flying during the day and moving to colder areas of the caves in which they hibernate. Bats with WNS have been observed staying in cave areas which are several degrees colder than the normal hibernation space, dangerous during the long winter when energy needs to be carefully conserved.
Furthermore, this type of fungus, of the Geomyces genus, normally thrives in colder environments, exacerbating the bats' condition. Scientists are not yet sure what makes the fungus so lethal to these bat colonies. Some have hypothesized that a combination of environmental and biological factors are at work.
Most of the bats that have been afflicted by WNS die from starvation, which suggests that the fungus causes the bats to expend too much energy during the hibernation period.
Bats are crucial to their ecosystems for their roles in pollination, seed dispersal and insect control. As the second-most diverse mammal in the world, bat populations have evolved to fulfill a range of ecological community functions.
For now, a challenging puzzle remains to solve the mystery of White-Nose Syndrome causation and determine the most effective treatment for bat colonies.
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