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Murder at the bat cave
Murder in the bat cave What’s killing America’s bats? Shaoni Bhattacharya goes in search of clues
42 | NewScientist | 27 March 2010
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GERRIT VYN
C
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Little brown bats have been hit hardest by the emerging disease
”Bats were observed behaving strangely – waking from hibernation early and in a state of serious starvation”
?rqqebobfp^mrwwibebob)qll7D+abpqor`q^kp fp^mm^obkqivklq^it^vpplab^aiv+FkBrolmb) qebobe^sb_bbk^kb`alqbplc_^qptfqecrwwv tefqbklpbppfk`bqeb.65-p)_rqqeb^ccif`qflk t^pi^odbivfdklobarkqfiqeb>jbof`^kafb*lcc+ Qebk)fkJ^o`e/--6)arofkdolrqfkb jlkfqlofkdlc_^q`^sbpkb^oMofdrbru) Co^k`b)QbbifkdÑpdolrmpqrj_iba^`olpp^ _^qtfqe^mltabov)tefqbcrkdrplkfqpklpb+ I^_qbpqppr_pbnrbkqivobsb^ibaqe^qfqt^p fkcb`qbatfqeD+abpqor`q^kp+Promofpfkdiv) qelrde)rkifhbqeb_^qpfk>jbof`^)qefp^kfj^i t^plqebotfpbeb^iqev^ka^dllatbfdeq %BjbodfkdFkcb`qflrpAfpb^pbp)ALF7.-+0/-., bfa.3-/+-6.06.&+ Qefpj^vklq_b^kfpli^qba`^pb+Fk/--5) ^q^p`fbkqfcf`jbbqfkdfk?^s^of^)Dboj^kv) orjlroplc_^qptfqetefqbcrkdrplkqebfo klpbpmoljmqbaDraorkTf__biqlcqeb Ibf_kfwFkpqfqrqbcloWll^kaTfiaifcbObpb^o`e fk?boifkqldbqfkslisba+?vpmofkd/--6)ebo mib^clop^jmibpe^avfbiabaobpriqpcoljclro Brolmb^k`lrkqofbp+PebtlkÑqp^vte^qpeb e^pclrkarkqfiebom^mboe^p_bbkmr_ifpeba) _rqfcD+abpqor`q^kpfp^mmb^ofkdfklqebotfpb eb^iqev^kfj^ipqebfjmif`^qflkp`lria_b erdbivfjmloq^kq+ ÎQebeloof_ibtlopq*`^pbp`bk^oflfpqe^qqefp k^pqvqefkde^pgrpq^oofsbafkBrolmb^ka^ii _^qp^obrkaboqeob^q)Ïp^vpQbbifkd+?rqqeb ^kb`alq^ibsfabk`bprddbpqpqefpfprkifhbiv+ Fkpqb^a)^pqeblkivBrolmb^kpmb`fjbkp clrkaplc^oe^sbobj^fkbaeb^iqevabpmfqb qebcrkdrp)qebjlpqmol_^_ibbumi^k^qflkfp qe^qD+abpqor`q^kpe^ppmob^acoljBrolmb) tebobqeb_^qpe^sbabsbilmbapljb obpfpq^k`bqlfq)qlqebRPtebobqebve^sbkÑq+ ÎFqÑpjlobqe^kifhbivXqe^qD+abpqor`q^kpZe^p _bbk^olrkaclo^ilkdqfjbÌmboe^mp_^qp > 27 March 2010 | NewScientist | 43
GERRIT VYN
NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE Bats are remarkable creatures. Their aerial lifestyle means they live on the edge of what is possible metabolically. Yet they are a very successful group, accounting for over 20 per cent of all living mammals. They are also amazingly long-lived, with a lifespan of up to 30 years, compared to a year for a mammal of similar size such as a shrew or mouse. The US is home to 45 bat species. Around half of these are threatened by a newly identified disease called white nose syndrome (WNS), which kills over 80 per cent of bats that catch it in the US, and seems capable of infecting any cave-dweller. So far the fungus implicated in WNS has turned up in six species – the little and big brown bats, the northern long-eared bat, the small-footed bat, the tricolored bat and the Indiana bat. All these live for five to 15 years and have just one offspring a year, so even if biologists can control the spread of WNS it will take many decades for numbers to recover. The impact of WNS goes beyond the death of bats, though. Bats play a vital ecological role, and their absence will have catastrophic knock-on effects for
44 | NewScientist | 27 March 2010
the environment, agriculture and economy. For a start, bats eat pests. According to Thomas Kunz at Boston University, the little brown bat, the species most affected by WNS, can consume between 50 and 100 per cent of its body weight in insects in a single night. At a conservative estimate, that is 630 tonnes, the equivalent of six female blue whales in weight of uneaten insects since WNS appeared, he calculates. Farmers will be paying the price. In the only study of its kind, researchers found that the 1.5 million Brazilian free-tailed bats living in Texas save farmers around $750,000 per year in pesticides otherwise needed to control cotton bollworms (Frontiers of Ecology and the Environment, vol 4, p 238). Bats have other uses, too. They pollinate night-flowering plants such as agaves. As well as this, their guano provides a vital energy source for cave ecosystems beyond the reach of a source of external energy such as sunlight. These unusual habitats, in turn, are often teeming with micro-organisms, some extremely rare, others valuable to us as medicines.
”The devastating die-off has been compared to the crisis amphibians have faced in the past decade” e^sb^iob^avdlkbqeolrde^_lqqibkb`hfk Brolmb)Ïpebp^vp+ ÎAfaBrolmblk`be^sb^jr`ei^odbo_^q mlmri^qflkqe^qt^ptfmbalrq_vTKP<Ï^php MbqboVlrkd_^bo)qebRPK^qflk^iPmbiblildf`^i Pl`fbqvÑpif^fplklkTKP+ÎFpqe^qdlfkdql_b qebkbtbnrfif_ofrjfkqebRP<ÏTefibqeb mlppf_fifqvplrkapafob)fqlccbop^difjjbo lcelmbcloKloqe>jbof`^Ñp_^qp7fcBrolmb^k _^qpe^sb^iob^avprosfsba^klkpi^rdeqlcqeb crkdrpqebobfpelmbqe^q>jbof`^k_^qp`^kqll+ Qeborpeqlrkil`hqebdbkbqf`pb`obqplc D+abpqor`q^kpfpkltlk)tfqeobpb^o`ebop elmfkdqebv`^kdfsb_^qp^ebimfkde^kafk cfdeqfkdTKP+@eofpqfk^@rljl^ka`liib^drbp ^qqeb?ol^aFkpqfqrqbfk@^j_ofadb) J^pp^`erpbqqp)^objfat^vqeolrde pbnrbk`fkdqebdbkljblc^k>jbof`^kpqo^fk lcD+abpqor`q^kp+Î>q^_^pf`ibsbifqÑpdlfkdql dfsbrp^hfkalcÐm^oqpifpqÑlcdbkbptef`etfii ebimrprkabopq^kaeltfqfpplm^qeldbkf`)Ï @rljlqliaKbtP`fbkqfpq+@ljm^ofkdqefp
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Spreading like the plague White nose syndrome has killed at least 1 million bats in the US since it was first spotted there, in New York state, four years ago
CANADA CAN AD D QUEBEC MAINE ONTARIO
MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN NEW YORK
AFFECTED AREAS
MICHIGAN
HELLHOLE CAVE SYSTEM
IOWA
ILLINOIS
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BAT HIBERNATION AREAS
INDIANA VIRGINIA
MISSOURI
Modus operandi
PENNSYLVANIA
TENNESSEE
NORTH CAROLINA
PROBABLE TRANSMISSION PATHWAYS
SOURCE: BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
Aeolus cave is among many hibernacula in Vermont to be affected
SOUTH CAROLINA ARKANSAS
GEORGIA ALABAMA
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tfabpmob^aql_bbo^af`^qbatfqe^crkdf`fab+ Fkabba)qebo^mfapmob^alcTKPfpqeb _fddbpq`lk`bok+Fk^k^qqbjmqql`lkq^fkfq) pljb`^sbpe^sb_bbk`ilpbaqlmblmib^ka lqeboplkiv^iiltifjfqba^``bppqlobpb^o`ebop ^ka`^sbop+Eltbsbo)abpmfqbqebobib^pbi^pq Pbmqbj_bolc^k^qflktfabmi^kql`lj_^qqeb crkdrp)`lkq^fkjbkqfppqfii_bfkd^aaobppba lkivlk^pq^qb*_v*pq^qb_^pfp+Jb^ktefib)_^q bumboqpkboslrpiv^t^fqqebbkalcef_bok^qflk qlpbbeltc^oqebafpb^pbe^ppmob^a+ ÎFÑjelmfkdtbtfiipbb^piltaltk^ka^ `lkq^fkjbkqÌqe^qtbtfii_bdfkqlafp`lsbo qe^qqebob^obifjfq^qflkp)Ïp^vpVlrkd_^bo+ Qe^qj^v_btfpecriqefkhfkd+J^kv obpb^o`ebop`ljm^obqebabs^pq^qfkdafb*lcc qlqeb`ofpfp^jmef_f^kpe^sbc^`bafkqeb m^pqab`^ab+Ebobqeb`efbcprpmb`qfp^d^fk ^jvpqboflrpcrkdrp)qefpqfjb^kbtpmb`fbp lc`evqofa+Qla^v_bqtbbk^qefoa^ka^e^ic lc^iipmb`fbplc^jmef_f^k^obqeob^qbkba_v buqfk`qflk+ÎQefkhlcte^qe^pe^mmbkbaql qeb^jmef_f^kpfk.-vb^op)Ïp^vpQbbifkd+ ÎTbe^sbdlqqlplisbqefp+Fqfpeloobkalrp+ÏN Shaoni Bhattacharya is a consultant to New Scientist based in London 27 March 2010 | NewScientist | 45
42 | NewScientist | 27 March 2010
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GERRIT VYN
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Little brown bats have been hit hardest by the emerging disease
”Bats were observed behaving strangely – waking from hibernation early and in a state of serious starvation”
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GERRIT VYN
NOT JUST A PRETTY FACE Bats are remarkable creatures. Their aerial lifestyle means they live on the edge of what is possible metabolically. Yet they are a very successful group, accounting for over 20 per cent of all living mammals. They are also amazingly long-lived, with a lifespan of up to 30 years, compared to a year for a mammal of similar size such as a shrew or mouse. The US is home to 45 bat species. Around half of these are threatened by a newly identified disease called white nose syndrome (WNS), which kills over 80 per cent of bats that catch it in the US, and seems capable of infecting any cave-dweller. So far the fungus implicated in WNS has turned up in six species – the little and big brown bats, the northern long-eared bat, the small-footed bat, the tricolored bat and the Indiana bat. All these live for five to 15 years and have just one offspring a year, so even if biologists can control the spread of WNS it will take many decades for numbers to recover. The impact of WNS goes beyond the death of bats, though. Bats play a vital ecological role, and their absence will have catastrophic knock-on effects for
44 | NewScientist | 27 March 2010
the environment, agriculture and economy. For a start, bats eat pests. According to Thomas Kunz at Boston University, the little brown bat, the species most affected by WNS, can consume between 50 and 100 per cent of its body weight in insects in a single night. At a conservative estimate, that is 630 tonnes, the equivalent of six female blue whales in weight of uneaten insects since WNS appeared, he calculates. Farmers will be paying the price. In the only study of its kind, researchers found that the 1.5 million Brazilian free-tailed bats living in Texas save farmers around $750,000 per year in pesticides otherwise needed to control cotton bollworms (Frontiers of Ecology and the Environment, vol 4, p 238). Bats have other uses, too. They pollinate night-flowering plants such as agaves. As well as this, their guano provides a vital energy source for cave ecosystems beyond the reach of a source of external energy such as sunlight. These unusual habitats, in turn, are often teeming with micro-organisms, some extremely rare, others valuable to us as medicines.
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Spreading like the plague White nose syndrome has killed at least 1 million bats in the US since it was first spotted there, in New York state, four years ago
CANADA CAN AD D QUEBEC MAINE ONTARIO
MINNESOTA
WISCONSIN NEW YORK
AFFECTED AREAS
MICHIGAN
HELLHOLE CAVE SYSTEM
IOWA
ILLINOIS
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BAT HIBERNATION AREAS
INDIANA VIRGINIA
MISSOURI
Modus operandi
PENNSYLVANIA
TENNESSEE
NORTH CAROLINA
PROBABLE TRANSMISSION PATHWAYS
SOURCE: BAT CONSERVATION INTERNATIONAL
Aeolus cave is among many hibernacula in Vermont to be affected
SOUTH CAROLINA ARKANSAS
GEORGIA ALABAMA
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