Energetic benefits of enhanced summer roosting habitat for little brown bats (<i>Myotis lucifugus</i>) recovering from white-nose syndrome

Wilcox, Alana; Willis, Craig K. R.

doi:10.1093/conphys/cov070

Cited by 34 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…There are several promising leads for the development of treatments for WNS (e.g., Cheng et al., ; Cornelison, Gabriel, Barlament, & Crow, ; Wilcox & Willis, ), but no effective mitigation or treatment protocols are currently available. However, some populations near the epicenter of WNS may be stabilizing following their initial, precipitous declines (Dobony et al., ; Langwig et al., , ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Profiling the immunome of little brown myotis provides a yardstick for measuring the genetic response to white‐nose syndrome

Donaldson

Davy

Willis

et al. 2017

Evolutionary Applications

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White‐nose syndrome (WNS) has devastated populations of hibernating bats in eastern North America, leading to emergency conservation listings for several species including the previously ubiquitous little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus). However, some bat populations near the epicenter of the WNS panzootic appear to be stabilizing after initial precipitous declines, which could reflect a selective immunogenetic sweep. To investigate the hypothesis that WNS exerts significant selection on the immunome of affected bat populations, we developed a novel, high‐throughput sequence capture assay targeting 138 adaptive, intrinsic, and innate immunity genes of putative adaptive significance, as well as their respective regulatory regions (~370 kbp of genomic sequence/individual). We used the assay to explore baseline immunogenetic variation in M. lucifugus and to investigate whether particular immune genes/variants are associated with WNS susceptibility. We also used our assay to detect 1,038 putatively neutral single nucleotide polymorphisms and characterize contemporary population structure, providing context for the identification of local immunogenetic adaptation. Sequence capture provided a cost‐effective, “all‐in‐one” assay to test for neutral genetic and immunogenetic structure and revealed fine‐scale, baseline immunogenetic differentiation between sampling sites <600 km apart. We identified functional immunogenetic variants in M. lucifugus associated with WNS susceptibility. This study lays the foundations for future investigations of rangewide immunogenetic adaptation to WNS in M. lucifugus and provides a blueprint for studies of evolutionary rescue in other host–pathogen systems.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Profiling the immunome of little brown myotis provides a yardstick for measuring the genetic response to white‐nose syndrome

Donaldson

Davy

Willis

et al. 2017

Evolutionary Applications

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“…; Grieneisen et al . ; Wilcox & Willis ). Rapidly leveraging results of these studies is important for directing long‐term strategies to halt the rapid decline and extirpation of many bat populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…fluorescens as a probiotic agent that could be further developed as a disease management tool against WNS. Further progress in the protection of imperilled bat populations in North America will require an adaptive management approach that should include field trials for probiotics and other biological agents (Cornelison et al 2014) and exploration of other interventions, such as habitat decontamination (Bosch et al 2015) and microclimate manipulations (Boyles & Willis 2010;Langwig et al 2012;Johnson et al 2014;Grieneisen et al 2015;Wilcox & Willis 2016). Rapidly leveraging results of these studies is important for directing long-term strategies to halt the rapid decline and extirpation of many bat populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy of a probiotic bacterium to treat bats affected by the disease white‐nose syndrome

Cheng

Mayberry

McGuire

et al. 2016

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Summary The management of infectious diseases is an important conservation concern for a growing number of wildlife species. However, effective disease control in wildlife is challenging because feasible management options are often lacking. White‐nose syndrome (WNS) is an infectious disease of hibernating bats that currently threatens several North American species with extinction. Currently, no effective treatments exist for WNS. We conducted a laboratory experiment to test the efficacy of probiotic treatment with Pseudomonas fluorescens, a bacterium that naturally occurs on bats, to reduce disease severity and improve survival of little brown bats Myotis lucifugus exposed to Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the fungal pathogen that causes WNS. We found that application of the probiotic bacteria at the time of fungal infection reduced several measures of disease severity and increased survival, whereas bacterial treatment prior to pathogen exposure had no effect on survival and worsened disease severity. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that probiotic treatment with Ps. fluorescens has potential for white‐nose syndrome disease management, but the timing of application is critical and should coincide with natural exposure of bats to P. destructans. These results add to the growing knowledge of how natural host microbiota can be implemented as a biocontrol treatment to influence disease outcomes.

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“…Treatment efficacy in the wild is not yet known, and economic and logistical constraints significantly reduce the percent of the infected population that feasibly can be treated. Habitat modification approaches (i.e., heated roost boxes; Wilcox and Willis ) may positively impact both vital rates by directly improving survival (through reduced energy costs) and indirectly improving reproduction (births earlier in the summer). For species like Indiana bats declining at slower timescales, targeted intervention even with modest results may return infected populations to stationary dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on the status of ongoing research projects on WNS management, published literature on potential management actions (Cornelison et al 2014, Wilcox and Willis 2016, Maslo et al 2017, and the results of our survival analysis, we developed three management strategies for returning infected Indiana bat colonies to stable population growth (k = 1): (1) increasing adult annual survival; (2) increasing adult and juvenile annual survival; and (3) increasing adult and juvenile reproduction. For each strategy, we calculated the 10-yr cumulative growth rate (k 10 ) and final population size of the colony resulting from a given percentage increase in the relevant vital rate(s).…”

Section: Vital Rate Sensitivity Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

High annual survival in infected wildlife populations may veil a persistent extinction risk from disease

et al. 2017

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Abstract. Host response to emerging pathogens is variable, causing uncertainty about population-level impacts and challenging effective disease management. White-nose syndrome (WNS) has caused catastrophic declines in some bat species, while others appear less impacted. Developing predictive models based on observed survival patterns can generate testable hypotheses about mechanisms driving population dynamics and contribute to the development of targeted approaches to disease management. We conducted a mark-recapture study of federally endangered Indiana bats (Myotis sodalis) during 2011-2016. Annual survival decreased from 0.78 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.89) and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.86) for females and males, respectively, in 2011 to 0.74 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.94) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.89) for females and males, respectively, in 2015. We then modeled two explanatory mechanisms potentially driving the observed patterns: (1) phased exposure to disease through the spatial spread of the pathogen within the hibernaculum; and (2) cumulative mortality risk from iterative yearly WNS infection. Under a phased exposure scenario, models suggest that infected individuals have an average survival probability of 0.68, and disease prevalence is predicted to reach 100% within 9 yr of disease emergence. Under the cumulative mortality risk hypothesis, survival probability of individuals decreases with each infection cycle. In either case, infected populations are predicted to stabilize at a negative growth rate. Results suggest that Indiana bats tolerate a pathogen load prior to onset of infection, leading to a less pronounced population decline than for other susceptible species. However, the long-term risk of WNS to Indiana bats may be more severe than current population trends suggest. To inform current conservation management, we performed a vital rate sensitivity analysis, which suggested that modest increases in survival (4-5%) through targeted intervention may return declining populations to stability (k = 1.0). Demographic modeling approaches coupled with continued population monitoring can highlight important differences in disease response, and ultimately extinction risk, in host species allowing conservation practitioners to tailor intervention actions so that they will be most effective.

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Energetic benefits of enhanced summer roosting habitat for little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) recovering from white-nose syndrome

Cited by 34 publications

References 53 publications

Profiling the immunome of little brown myotis provides a yardstick for measuring the genetic response to white‐nose syndrome

Profiling the immunome of little brown myotis provides a yardstick for measuring the genetic response to white‐nose syndrome

Efficacy of a probiotic bacterium to treat bats affected by the disease white‐nose syndrome

High annual survival in infected wildlife populations may veil a persistent extinction risk from disease

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