Loeb Susan C, Bridges William C, Winters Eric A, Brown Rebecca L, Anderson Jessica R, Ferrari Mack, Upton Jordyn R, Smith Lisa M, McElroy Thomas C, Edelman Andrew J, Cornelison Christopher T
USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA.
Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA.
Sci Rep. 2025 Apr 20;15(1):13644. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-97703-y.
Susceptibility of bats to white-nose syndrome (WNS), a lethal disease caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), may be influenced by the amount of activity outside hibernacula during the winter. We tested the effects of hibernaculum type (aboveground or subterranean) and Pd status (positive or negative) on winter activity of tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) in the southeastern USA along with the effects of ambient temperature, precipitation, and stage of hibernation. We placed acoustic detectors at the entrances of 13 hibernacula (4 aboveground and Pd-positive, 4 aboveground and Pd-negative, 4 subterranean and Pd-positive, and 1 subterranean and Pd-negative) during winter 2020-21 and 2021-22. While neither hibernaculum type nor Pd status alone predicted probability of activity or levels of activity, these factors interacted with temperature, precipitation, and stage of the hibernation period. Activity increased at a greater rate with temperature and time since the onset of hibernation in aboveground and Pd-negative sites and decreased at a faster rate in response to precipitation. Our results suggest that tricolored bats using aboveground hibernacula such as culverts or bridges may be less susceptible to WNS due to greater nighttime activity. However, use of these structures may have other costs such as higher freezing and predation risks.
蝙蝠对由毁灭裸囊菌(Pd)引起的致命疾病白鼻综合征(WNS)的易感性,可能会受到冬季在冬眠场所外活动量的影响。我们在美国东南部测试了冬眠场所类型(地上或地下)和Pd感染状况(阳性或阴性)对三色蝙蝠(Perimyotis subflavus)冬季活动的影响,以及环境温度、降水量和冬眠阶段的影响。在2020 - 21年和2021 - 22年冬季,我们在13个冬眠场所的入口处放置了声学探测器(4个地上且Pd阳性、4个地上且Pd阴性、4个地下且Pd阳性,以及1个地下且Pd阴性)。虽然单独的冬眠场所类型和Pd感染状况都无法预测活动概率或活动水平,但这些因素与温度、降水量和冬眠阶段相互作用。在地上且Pd阴性的场所,活动随温度和自冬眠开始后的时间增加的速率更大,而对降水量的响应下降速率更快。我们的结果表明,使用如涵洞或桥梁等地上冬眠场所的三色蝙蝠可能因夜间活动较多而对白鼻综合征的易感性较低。然而,使用这些结构可能有其他代价,如更高的受冻和被捕食风险。