Body mass and hibernation microclimate may predict bat susceptibility to white‐nose syndrome

Haase, Catherine G.; Fuller, Nathan W.; Dzal, Yvonne A.; Hranac, C. Reed; Hayman, David T. S.; Lausen, Cori L.; Silas, Kirk A.; Olson, Sarah H.; Plowright, Raina K.

doi:10.1002/ece3.7070

Cited by 26 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Relative to the surface landscape, subterranean locations can provide suitable low temperature (i.e., 0 -10 @C) habitats for hibernators (Thomas and Cloutier 1992). Microclimate selection will vary greatly based on species-specific preferences (Haase et al 2021), and roost selection within the larger hibernaculum critically affects both the frequency of arousals and efficiency of torpor (Humphries et al 2002, Czenze et al 2013, Haase et al 2019). Species such as M. lucifugus appear to choose roost locations with stable, nearly saturated environments and low temperatures to ameliorate their relatively high rates of evaporative water loss, while other bat species are capable of using more arid, and less thermally-stable, roosts as hibernacula (Klüg-Baerwald andBrigham 2017, Klüg-Baerwald et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous models (Hayman et al 2016) allowed for spatial variation in winter duration; however, the definition of winter duration was made a priori and based solely upon the number of nights with an average temperature below 0°C (Humphries et al 2002). Similarly, the amount of body fat has generally been fixed as 25-30 % of total body mass in most studies (Humphries et al 2002, Hayman et al 2016, Haase et al 2021. Fat resources are a major determinant of survival (Haase et al 2019) and thus this assumption of proportion of body fat warrants review.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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What is winter? Modelling spatial variation in bat host traits and hibernation and their implications for overwintering energetics

Hranac

Haase

Fuller³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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White-nose syndrome (WNS) has decimated hibernating bat populations across eastern and central North America for over a decade. Disease severity is driven by the interaction between bat characteristics, the cold-loving fungal agent, and the hibernation environment. While we further improve hibernation energetics models, we have yet to examine how spatial heterogeneity in host traits is linked to survival in this disease system. Here we develop predictive spatial models of body mass for the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and reassess previous definitions of the duration of hibernation of this species. Using data from published literature, public databases, local experts, and our own fieldwork, we fit a series of generalized linear models with hypothesized abiotic drivers to create distribution-wide predictions of pre-hibernation body fat and hibernation duration. Our results provide improved estimations of hibernation duration and identify a scaling relationship between body mass and body fat; this relationship allows for the first continuous estimates of pre-hibernation body mass and fat across the species’ distribution. We used these results to inform a hibernation energetic model to create spatially-varying fat use estimates for M. lucifugus. These results predict that WNS mortality of newly and soon-to-be infected M. lucifugus populations in western North America may be comparable to the substantial die-off observed in eastern and central populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is winter? Modelling spatial variation in bat host traits and hibernation and their implications for overwintering energetics

Hranac

Haase

Fuller³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Relative to the surface landscape, subterranean locations can provide suitable low temperature (i.e., 0–10°C) habitats for hibernators (Thomas & Cloutier, 1992 ). Microclimate selection will vary greatly based on species‐specific preferences (Haase et al., 2021 ), and roost selection within the larger hibernaculum critically affects both the frequency of arousals and efficiency of torpor (Czenze et al., 2013 ; Haase et al., 2019 ; Humphries et al., 2002 ). Species such as M. lucifugus appear to choose roost locations with stable, humid environments and low temperatures to ameliorate their relatively high rates of evaporative water loss, while other bat species are capable of using more arid, and less thermally stable, roosts as hibernacula (Klüg‐Baerwald et al., 2017 ; Klüg‐Baerwald & Brigham, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous models (Hayman et al., 2016 ) allowed for spatial variation in winter duration; however, the definition of winter duration was made a priori and based solely upon the number of nights with an average temperature below 0°C (Humphries et al., 2002 ). Similarly, the amount of body fat has generally been fixed as 25%–30% of total body mass in most studies (Haase et al., 2021 ; Hayman et al., 2016 ; Humphries et al., 2002 ). Fat resources are a major determinant of survival (Haase et al., 2019 ), and thus, this assumption of proportion of body fat warrants review.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

What is winter? Modeling spatial variation in bat host traits and hibernation and their implications for overwintering energetics

Hranac

Haase

Fuller

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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White‐nose syndrome (WNS) has decimated hibernating bat populations across eastern and central North America for over a decade. Disease severity is driven by the interaction between bat characteristics, the cold‐loving fungal agent, and the hibernation environment. While we further improve hibernation energetics models, we have yet to examine how spatial heterogeneity in host traits is linked to survival in this disease system. Here, we develop predictive spatial models of body mass for the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and reassess previous definitions of the duration of hibernation of this species. Using data from published literature, public databases, local experts, and our own fieldwork, we fit a series of generalized linear models with hypothesized abiotic drivers to create distribution‐wide predictions of prehibernation body fat and hibernation duration. Our results provide improved estimations of hibernation duration and identify a scaling relationship between body mass and body fat; this relationship allows for the first continuous estimates of prehibernation body mass and fat across the species' distribution. We used these results to inform a hibernation energetic model to create spatially varying fat use estimates for M. lucifugus. These results predict WNS mortality of M. lucifugus populations in western North America may be comparable to the substantial die‐off observed in eastern and central populations.

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Disparities in Perimyotis subflavus Body Mass Between Cave and Culvert Hibernacula in Georgia, USA

Ferrall,

Perea,

Morris

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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The tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus), once common in the eastern United States, has experienced significant mortality due to white‐nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that primarily affects bats hibernating in caves and mines. In coastal regions of the southeastern United States, where caves and mines are scarce, tricolored bats often use roadway culverts as hibernacula. However, WNS infection dynamics in culverts are poorly understood. Previous research indicated that bats with higher body mass at the onset of hibernation have a higher probability of surviving repeated arousal events from WNS. Therefore, we compared tricolored bat winter body mass between cave and culvert hibernacula and identified culvert characteristics influencing body mass during hibernation in Georgia, USA. From 2018 to 2022, we measured body mass of 754 individuals in early and late hibernation across 32 culverts (n = 497) and four caves (n = 257). Our study revealed a southward spread of the fungus over multiple years, with the first confirmed case of WNS in a Georgia culvert in 2022. Overall, tricolored bats in caves weighed more in early hibernation than those in culverts, but bats in culverts weighed more in late hibernation. Across all sites, female tricolored bats entering and leaving hibernation had greater mass than males but lost more mass during hibernation, possibly due to differences in torpor‐arousal patterns and WNS infection rates. Additionally, all bats lost more mass in longer culverts. Understanding culvert characteristics affecting bat body mass will inform management strategies to mitigate WNS effects. Identifying risk factors for specific tricolored bat hibernacula can guide managers on where to focus winter WNS monitoring efforts and potential treatments.

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Body mass and hibernation microclimate may predict bat susceptibility to white‐nose syndrome

Abstract: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Cited by 26 publications

References 41 publications

What is winter? Modelling spatial variation in bat host traits and hibernation and their implications for overwintering energetics

What is winter? Modelling spatial variation in bat host traits and hibernation and their implications for overwintering energetics

What is winter? Modeling spatial variation in bat host traits and hibernation and their implications for overwintering energetics

Disparities in Perimyotis subflavus Body Mass Between Cave and Culvert Hibernacula in Georgia, USA

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