Bats actively prey on mosquitoes and other deleterious insects in rice paddies: Potential impact on human health and agriculture

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The fact that bats suppress agricultural pests has been measured for some particular dyads of predator and prey species in both economic and food security terms. The recent emergence of new molecular techniques allows for more precise screenings of bat's diet than the traditional visual identification systems and provides further evidence that bats consume an ample array of agricultural pest species. The main focus of the regulatory services that bats provide in agroecosystems has been on crop pests that cause yield losses. Rice paddies constitute a particular agronomic system with specific challenges, not only related to crop productivity but also to human health. Dipteran density in such ecosystems poses a serious threat to human wellbeing and hinders crop production. Mosquitoes cause direct harm to human populations, transmitting a number of infectious diseases. Non-biting midges (Chironomidae) can consume and weaken rice seedlings and can cause major yield losses. RESULTS: Mosquito populations and bat activity were assessed in rice paddies of Montgrí, Medes i Baix Ter Natural Park (NE Iberian Peninsula). Molecular analyses of bats faeces (6-weekly samples of 15 faeces each between mid-August and September) proved the presence of both mosquitoes and nonbiting midges in all diet samples. Furthermore, bat activity at the sampling locations was related to adult mosquito density. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that bats actively exploit the emergence of adult mosquitoes and further prove that they prey on mosquitoes, nonbiting midges and other deleterious insects. Promoting the presence of bats next to human settlements in such agroecosystems may constitute a biological control system with direct impact on both human health and crop yield.

Understanding human attitudes towards bats and the role of information and aesthetics to boost a positive response as a conservation tool

“…Indeed, their role in the prevention of zoonosis (malaria, dengue, etc.) associated with vectors such as mosquitoes (Puig-Montserrat et al, 2020). The second one is the importance of having a previous experience with bats.…”

Concurrent Butterfly, Bat and Small Mammal Monitoring Programmes Using Citizen Science in Catalonia (NE Spain): A Historical Review and Future Directions

“…Due to the implementation of acoustic protocols as well as the installation and monitoring of bat boxes in agroforest landscapes, this programme also provides useful information for fostering eco-friendly practices in agricultural circles. We have provided strong evidence of the benefits of organic olive farming for the conservation of gleaning bats in a Mediterranean agroforest landscape [81], and the impact of common bat species in suppressing notorious insect pest species in rice paddies such as chironomids and mosquitoes [82], the rice water weevil [83] and the rice borer [84]; these last studies were carried out in the Ebro Delta, where much bat research is clearly lacking [85]. Regarding the use of bat boxes, this programme also provides guidelines for their installation in a wide range of habitats [86][87][88], and in terms of bioindication and ecosystem health.…”

Batting for rice: The effect of bat exclusion on rice in North-East India

“…They have been shown to reduce pest abundance (Kalka et al, 2008;Williams-Guillén et al, 2008), plant damage (Maine and Boyles, 2015) and loss in yield (Librán-Embid et al, 2017). They have also been shown to limit disease spread by limiting disease vectors like mosquitoes and other flies (Kervyn et al, 2012;Siemers et al, 2012;Puig-Montserrat et al, 2020).…”