Bats play a vital role in ecosystems, providing billions
of dollars worth of insect-suppression and pollination
services to farmers around the United States. But now,
bats face a serious threat: white-nose syndrome (WNS), a
fungal disease that causes a loss of body fat, unusual winter
behavior, and even death. Since the first documentation
of the disease in 2006, between 5.7 and 6.7 million North
American bats have perished 1 from a disease referred to
as WNS, with some bat habitats experiencing population
declines of more than 90 percent. As of 2014, twenty-five
states and five Canadian provinces have confirmed cases of
2 WNS; the affected region now reaches as far west as the
Missouri-Kansas border.
Scientists have determined that the cause of white-
nose syndrome is a fungus— Pseudogymnoascus
destructans—that flourishes in cold, wet environments and
reproduces by generating spores that can lodge in the floors
and walls of caves as well as on 3 their muzzles, ears,
wing membranes, and hairless body parts. 4 For reasons
currently unknown, infected bats also demonstrate atypical
behavior at hibernation sites: they awaken, fly outside
during the day, and hover around cave mouths. This
excessive activity results in the depletion of vital fat 5
stores leading to life-threatening emaciation.
6 There is federal funding available to support
research on WNS. With grants already in excess of $17.4
million, scientists are conducting epidemiological research
in order to determine the most effective agents to combat
the disease. Interestingly, the research is beginning to
suggest that humans may play a prominent role in the
spread of the fungus, as the distance between infected
caves often 7 exceed the typical migratory patterns of bat
populations. 8 In contrast, the USDA Forest Service has
mandated a five-year closure of caves and mines in thirteen
states and has ceased all spelunking activity. Through these
measures, possible only through collaboration with various
organizations and help from the public, scientists hope to
avoid a further decline of the bat population in the United
States.
While it is unlikely that affected species will recover
quickly (due to their slow reproductive rates bats have one
offspring, or pup, 9 annually). Several species of bats have
exhibited resistance to the destructive powers of WNS.
The Virginia big-eared bat population, for example, has
not been significantly affected, which led scientists to an
exciting discovery: a naturally occurring yeast on the bats’
fur inhibits the growth of the fungus. This 10 disclosure
offers a glimmer of hope in the battle against WNS. 11
of dollars worth of insect-suppression and pollination
services to farmers around the United States. But now,
bats face a serious threat: white-nose syndrome (WNS), a
fungal disease that causes a loss of body fat, unusual winter
behavior, and even death. Since the first documentation
of the disease in 2006, between 5.7 and 6.7 million North
American bats have perished 1 from a disease referred to
as WNS, with some bat habitats experiencing population
declines of more than 90 percent. As of 2014, twenty-five
states and five Canadian provinces have confirmed cases of
2 WNS; the affected region now reaches as far west as the
Missouri-Kansas border.
Scientists have determined that the cause of white-
nose syndrome is a fungus— Pseudogymnoascus
destructans—that flourishes in cold, wet environments and
reproduces by generating spores that can lodge in the floors
and walls of caves as well as on 3 their muzzles, ears,
wing membranes, and hairless body parts. 4 For reasons
currently unknown, infected bats also demonstrate atypical
behavior at hibernation sites: they awaken, fly outside
during the day, and hover around cave mouths. This
excessive activity results in the depletion of vital fat 5
stores leading to life-threatening emaciation.
6 There is federal funding available to support
research on WNS. With grants already in excess of $17.4
million, scientists are conducting epidemiological research
in order to determine the most effective agents to combat
the disease. Interestingly, the research is beginning to
suggest that humans may play a prominent role in the
spread of the fungus, as the distance between infected
caves often 7 exceed the typical migratory patterns of bat
populations. 8 In contrast, the USDA Forest Service has
mandated a five-year closure of caves and mines in thirteen
states and has ceased all spelunking activity. Through these
measures, possible only through collaboration with various
organizations and help from the public, scientists hope to
avoid a further decline of the bat population in the United
States.
While it is unlikely that affected species will recover
quickly (due to their slow reproductive rates bats have one
offspring, or pup, 9 annually). Several species of bats have
exhibited resistance to the destructive powers of WNS.
The Virginia big-eared bat population, for example, has
not been significantly affected, which led scientists to an
exciting discovery: a naturally occurring yeast on the bats’
fur inhibits the growth of the fungus. This 10 disclosure
offers a glimmer of hope in the battle against WNS. 11