scholarly journals Personality affects dynamics of an experimental pathogen in little brown bats

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 200770
Author(s):  
Quinn M. R. Webber ◽  
Craig K. R. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Uv Light ◽  
Infected Individual ◽  
Infection Intensity ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Pathogen Dynamics ◽  
Fluorescent Powder ◽  
Y Maze ◽  
Host Personality ◽  
Host Behaviour ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Host behaviour can affect host–pathogen dynamics and theory predicts that certain individuals disproportionately infect conspecifics during an epidemic. Consistent individual differences in behaviour, or personality, could influence this variation with the most exploratory or sociable individuals most likely to spread pathogens. We quantified exploration and sociability in little brown bats ( Myotis lucifugus ) and then experimentally manipulated exposure to a proxy pathogen (i.e. ultraviolet (UV) fluorescent powder) to test two related hypotheses: (i) more sociable and more exploratory individuals would be more likely to transmit infections to other individuals, and (ii) more sociable and more exploratory individuals uninfected with an invading pathogen would be more likely to acquire infections. We captured 10 groups of 16 bats at a time and held each group in an outdoor flight tent equipped with roosting-boxes. We used hole-board and Y-maze tests to quantify exploration and sociability of each bat and randomly selected one individual from each group for ‘infection’ with non-toxic, UV fluorescent powder. Each group of 10 bats was released into the flight tent for 24 h, which represented an experimental infection trial. After 24 h, we removed bats from the trial, photographed each individual under UV light and quantified infection intensity from digital photographs. As predicted, the exploratory behaviour of the experimentally infected individual was positively correlated with infection intensity in their group-mates, while more exploratory females had higher pathogen acquisition. Our results highlight the potential influence of host personality and sex on pathogen dynamics in wildlife populations.

A possible defensive function for calls given by bats (Myotis lucifugus) arousing from torpor

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (6) ◽  
pp. 1430-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Martin ◽  
M. B. Fenton
Keyword(s):  
Sound Pressure Level ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Peromyscus Maniculatus ◽  
Pressure Level ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Defensive Function ◽  
Y Maze

Presentation of stimuli in a Y maze showed that Peromyscus maniculatus which inhabit hibernacula used by bats may use auditory stimuli to locate bats which have fallen from their hibernation perches. However, the intense calls (95 dB sound pressure level, linear at 10 cm) given by bats (mainly Myotis lucifugus) as they arouse from torpor may serve a defensive function by repelling the mice.

Elevated mercury exposure and neurochemical alterations in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from a site with historical mercury contamination

Ecotoxicology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1094-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong-Ha Nam ◽  
David Yates ◽  
Pedro Ardapple ◽  
David C. Evers ◽  
John Schmerfeld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mercury Exposure ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Mercury Contamination ◽  
A Site ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Host behaviour, age and sex correlate with ectoparasite prevalence and intensity in a colonial mammal, the little brown bat

Behaviour ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 152 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quinn M.R. Webber ◽  
Liam P. McGuire ◽  
Steven B. Smith ◽  
Craig K.R. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Pathogen Transmission ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Wildlife Diseases ◽  
Colonial Species ◽  
Host Seeking ◽  
Host Sex ◽  
Little Brown Bat ◽  
Host Behaviour ◽  
Age And Sex

The influence of behaviour on host-parasite dynamics has theoretical support but few empirical studies have examined this influence for wild-captured hosts, especially in colonial species, which are thought to face generally high risk of exposure. Behavioural tendencies of hosts in novel environments could mediate host exposure. We tested the hypothesis that behavioural tendencies of hosts, and host sex and age, correlate with prevalence and intensity of ectoparasites in a gregarious mammal, the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). We also tested whether relationships between host behaviour and parasite prevalence and intensity would vary between taxa of ectoparasites which differ in host-seeking behaviour. We predicted that individual hosts displaying active and explorative behaviours would have higher prevalence and intensity of parasites that depend on physical contact among hosts for transmission (mites) but that host behaviour would not influence prevalence and intensity of mobile ectoparasites with active host-seeking behaviour (fleas). We recorded behavioural responses of wild-captured bats in a novel-environment test and then sampled each individual for ectoparasites. After accounting for age and sex we found mixed support for our hypotheses in some but not all demographics. More active adult and young of the year (YOY) males were more likely to host mites while more active adult and YOY females were less likely to host fleas. Our results highlight possible differences in the influence of host and parasite behaviour on parasite transmission dynamics for colonial compared to non-colonial species and have conservation implications for understanding pathogen transmission in bat white-nose syndrome and other wildlife diseases.

scholarly journals Hepatic lipid signatures of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) at early stages of white-nose syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan L. Pannkuk ◽  
Nicole A. S.-Y. Dorville ◽  
Yvonne A. Dzal ◽  
Quinn E. Fletcher ◽  
Kaleigh J. O. Norquay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lipid Metabolism ◽  
Fatty Acid Distribution ◽  
Eptesicus Fuscus ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Pseudogymnoascus Destructans ◽  
Hepatic Lipid ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Big Brown Bats ◽  
Little Brown Bats

AbstractWhite-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent wildlife fungal disease of cave-dwelling, hibernating bats that has led to unprecedented mortalities throughout North America. A primary factor in WNS-associated bat mortality includes increased arousals from torpor and premature fat depletion during winter months. Details of species and sex-specific changes in lipid metabolism during WNS are poorly understood and may play an important role in the pathophysiology of the disease. Given the likely role of fat metabolism in WNS and the fact that the liver plays a crucial role in fatty acid distribution and lipid storage, we assessed hepatic lipid signatures of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) at an early stage of infection with the etiological agent, Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Differences in lipid profiles were detected at the species and sex level in the sham-inoculated treatment, most strikingly in higher hepatic triacylglyceride (TG) levels in E. fuscus females compared to males. Interestingly, several dominant TGs (storage lipids) decreased dramatically after Pd infection in both female M. lucifugus and E. fuscus. Increases in hepatic glycerophospholipid (structural lipid) levels were only observed in M. lucifugus, including two phosphatidylcholines (PC [32:1], PC [42:6]) and one phosphatidylglycerol (PG [34:1]). These results suggest that even at early stages of WNS, changes in hepatic lipid mobilization may occur and be species and sex specific. As pre-hibernation lipid reserves may aid in bat persistence and survival during WNS, these early perturbations to lipid metabolism could have important implications for management responses that aid in pre-hibernation fat storage.

Torpor patterns in food-deprived Myotis lucifugus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) under simulated roost conditions

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen Kurta
Keyword(s):  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Insectivorous Bats ◽  
Wet Weather ◽  
Single Night ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Temperate insectivorous bats are commonly prevented from foraging by cold or wet weather. This study examines the effect of missing a single night of foraging on the energetics of pregnant and lactating little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) under simulated roost conditions. After not foraging, the day-roosting metabolic rate of pregnant M. lucifugus was reduced by 61% and that of lactating bats by 46%. Although previous laboratory studies predicted that food-deprived bats should remain in torpor throughout the day-roosting period, M. lucifugus consistently aroused from torpor between 11:00 and 15:00 and maintained elevated metabolic rates for the rest of the day.

scholarly journals Long-distance movements of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus)

2013 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 506-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaleigh J. O. Norquay ◽  
Felix Martinez-Nuñez ◽  
Jack E. Dubois ◽  
Kim M. Monson ◽  
Craig K. R. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Patterns of Acoustical Activity of Bats Prior to and Following White-Nose Syndrome Occurrence

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Mark Ford ◽  
Eric R. Britzke ◽  
Christopher A. Dobony ◽  
Jane L. Rodrigue ◽  
Joshua B. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Activity Patterns ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
White Nose Syndrome ◽  
Little Brown Bats

Abstract White-nose Syndrome (WNS), a wildlife health concern that has decimated cave-hibernating bat populations in eastern North America since 2006, began affecting source-caves for summer bat populations at Fort Drum, a U.S. Army installation in New York in the winter of 2007–2008. As regional die-offs of bats became evident, and Fort Drum's known populations began showing declines, we examined whether WNS-induced change in abundance patterns and seasonal timing of bat activity could be quantified using acoustical surveys, 2003–2010, at structurally uncluttered riparian–water habitats (i.e., streams, ponds, and wet meadows). As predicted, we observed significant declines in overall summer activity between pre-WNS and post-WNS years for little brown bats Myotis lucifugus, northern bats M. septentrionalis, and Indiana bats M. sodalis. We did not observe any significant change in activity patterns between pre-WNS and post-WNS years for big brown bats Eptesicus fuscus, eastern red bats Lasiurus borealis, or the small number of tri-colored bats Perimyotis subflavus. Activity of silver-haired bats Lasionycteris noctivagans increased from pre-WNS to post-WNS years. Activity levels of hoary bats Lasiurus cinereus significantly declined between pre- and post-WNS years. As a nonhibernating, migratory species, hoary bat declines might be correlated with wind-energy development impacts occurring in the same time frame rather than WNS. Intraseason activity patterns also were affected by WNS, though the results were highly variable among species. Little brown bats showed an overall increase in activity from early to late summer pre-WNS, presumably due to detections of newly volant young added to the local population. However, the opposite occurred post-WNS, indicating that reproduction among surviving little brown bats may be declining. Our data suggest that acoustical monitoring during the summer season can provide insights into species' relative abundance on the landscape as affected by the occurrence of WNS.

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