Roost Occupancy, Roost Site Selection and Diet of Straw-Coloured Fruit Bats (Pteropodidae:<i>Eidolon helvum</i>) in Western Kenya: The Need for Continued Public Education

Webala, Paul W.; Musila, Simon; Makau, Rogers K

doi:10.3161/150811014x683291

Cited by 22 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…In addition, NCA suggests that the bat iflavirus has an insect host, and was therefore diet derived; despite the high number of iflavirus reads identified in the sample (Table 1). Therefore we speculate that bat iflavirus was the result of the consumption of fruits or leaves containing insects, larvae or eggs infected with this virus, as has been suggested before [42]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Highly diverse population of Picornaviridae and other members of the Picornavirales, in Cameroonian fruit bats

et al. 2017

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BackgroundThe order Picornavirales represents a diverse group of positive-stranded RNA viruses with small non-enveloped icosahedral virions. Recently, bats have been identified as an important reservoir of several highly pathogenic human viruses. Since many members of the Picornaviridae family cause a wide range of diseases in humans and animals, this study aimed to characterize members of the order Picornavirales in fruit bat populations located in the Southwest region of Cameroon. These bat populations are frequently in close contact with humans due to hunting, selling and eating practices, which provides ample opportunity for interspecies transmissions.ResultsFecal samples from 87 fruit bats (Eidolon helvum and Epomophorus gambianus), were combined into 25 pools and analyzed using viral metagenomics. In total, Picornavirales reads were found in 19 pools, and (near) complete genomes of 11 picorna-like viruses were obtained from 7 of these pools. The picorna-like viruses possessed varied genomic organizations (monocistronic or dicistronic), and arrangements of gene cassettes. Some of the viruses belonged to established families, including the Picornaviridae, whereas others clustered distantly from known viruses and most likely represent novel genera and families. Phylogenetic and nucleotide composition analyses suggested that mammals were the likely host species of bat sapelovirus, bat kunsagivirus and bat crohivirus, whereas the remaining viruses (named bat iflavirus, bat posalivirus, bat fisalivirus, bat cripavirus, bat felisavirus, bat dicibavirus and bat badiciviruses 1 and 2) were most likely diet-derived.ConclusionThe existence of a vast genetic variability of picorna-like viruses in fruit bats may increase the probability of spillover infections to humans especially when humans and bats have direct contact as the case in this study site. However, further screening for these viruses in humans will fully indicate their zoonotic potential.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3632-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Highly diverse population of Picornaviridae and other members of the Picornavirales, in Cameroonian fruit bats

et al. 2017

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“…As pointed out by Arita (1993), most vespertilionids and molossids are canopy foragers and as such are less frequently captured with ground-level mist nets. Also, insectivorous bats are known to easily escape from mist nets by chewing a hole through the mist nets if the nets are left unwatched even for just a short time (Vaughan 1986). Nevertheless we captured some vespertilionids and molossids mostly as they foraged over slow flowing streams (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annotated checklist of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of Mount Cameroon, southwestern Cameroon

2020

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Mount Cameroon is a priority area for global biodiversity conservation, considering its high species richness and endemism across many taxa. As of yet, its Chiroptera fauna is still poorly known. Thus this paper aims to provide an updated checklist of the Chiroptera fauna of Mount Cameroon based on our own field data, previously published data and data from museum collections. Details on published references and conservation statuses are also provided for each species. During our field surveys (2016-2018), 613 individuals and 21 species were recorded. Among them three species are new to the area: Mops (Xiphonycteris) nanulus J. A. Allen, 1917, Mops (Xiphonycteris) thersites (Thomas, 1903) and Glauconycteris egeria Thomas, 1913. These new records bring the number of known bat species in the Mount Cameroon area to 38, belonging to seven families. This includes Pteropodidae Gray, 1821 (eleven species), Hipposideridae Gray, 1821 (six species), Rhinolophidae Gray, 1825 (three species), Miniopteridae Dobson, 1875 (three species), Vespertilionidae Gray, 1821 (seven species), Nycteridae Van der Hoeven, 1855 (five species) and Molossidae Gervais, 1856 (three species). We also observe that 23.7% of bats in the area are frugivorous (nine species), 71.1% are insectivorous (27 species) and 5.3% are nectarivorous (two species). Moreover, because of the increasing rate of deforestation in the area caused by slash-and-burn shifting cultivation and expansion of agro-industrial plantations, knowledge of the regional chiropteran fauna is imperative, especially as this information can provide a base for the development of future management and conservation strategies.

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“…This species roosts on trees in large numbers, reaching hundreds of thousands of individuals [ 13 ], with an estimated five to ten million bats in the largest known colony at Kasanka National Park (Zambia) [ 30 ]. Very often roosts are located in urban areas [ 13 , 31 ], making them especially vulnerable to interactions with humans [ 28 , 29 , 32 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing roost disturbance of straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) through tri-axial acceleration

et al. 2020

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The disturbance of wildlife by humans is a worldwide phenomenon that contributes to the loss of biodiversity. It can impact animals’ behaviour and physiology, and this can lead to changes in species distribution and richness. Wildlife disturbance has mostly been assessed through direct observation. However, advances in bio-logging provide a new range of sensors that may allow measuring disturbance of animals with high precision and remotely, and reducing the effects of human observers. We used tri-axial accelerometers to identify daytime flights of roosting straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum), which were used as a proxy for roost disturbance. This bat species roosts on trees in large numbers (often reaching hundreds of thousands of animals), making them highly vulnerable to disturbance. We captured and tagged 46 straw-coloured fruit bats with dataloggers, containing a global positioning system (GPS) and an accelerometer, in five roosts in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Zambia. Daytime roost flights were identified from accelerometer signatures and modelled against our activity in the roosts during the days of trapping, as a predictor of roost disturbance, and natural stressors (solar irradiance, precipitation and wind speed). We found that daytime roost flight probability increased during days of trapping and with increasing solar irradiance (which may reflect the search for shade to prevent overheating). Our results validate the use of accelerometers to measure roost disturbance of straw-coloured fruit bats and suggest that these devices may be very useful in conservation monitoring programs for large fruit bat species.

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Roost Occupancy, Roost Site Selection and Diet of Straw-Coloured Fruit Bats (Pteropodidae:Eidolon helvum) in Western Kenya: The Need for Continued Public Education

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Highly diverse population of Picornaviridae and other members of the Picornavirales, in Cameroonian fruit bats

Highly diverse population of Picornaviridae and other members of the Picornavirales, in Cameroonian fruit bats

Annotated checklist of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of Mount Cameroon, southwestern Cameroon

Assessing roost disturbance of straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) through tri-axial acceleration

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