Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) during hibernation.
A fungal infection in the Northeastern Little Brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) known as white-nose syndrome has been sickening bats for the past three years. The illness strikes worst when the bats are at their most vulnerable–during their winter hibernation period.
The disease, which presents as white patches on the bats’ skin and disrupts their winter “sleep”, kills nearly 80% of those stricken. Essentially, the infection causes the bats to rouse from their hibernatory rest repeatedly, and so, to stay warm, they must use up stored calories. Ultimately, according to a new mathematical model, used by the two researchers J. G. Boyles and C. K. R. Willis, the bats starve to death.
However, Boyles and Willis have a plan: provide heated bat boxes. The boxes would provide the necessary heat the bats need and would keep them from having to expend their stores of caloric energy, which weakens them. Given enough warmth, enough should make it through the winter months, and return to normal feeding to out-live the infection. The researcher plan to implement their idea this coming winter. It is hoped that the little brown bat will take advantage of the welcome mat.
The Little Brown bat (aka Little Brown Myotis) is the most common species of bat in North America. So far, the fungus seems to have stricken only those bats in the Northeastern region of the U.S. The bats, which are insectivores, provide an important ecosystem service by keeping insect populations in check.
The authors reported their modeling results and prospective solution in the March 5, on-line publication of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
About Michael Ricciardi
[...] may recall my post, early last year (Scientist Develop Heated ‘Bat Boxes’ to Help Sick Bats ), on how scientists have started building heated “bat boxes” to keep the bats warm [...]