Abstract
AbstractWhite‐nose syndrome (WNS) has caused dramatic declines of several cave‐hibernating bat species in North America since 2006, which has increased the activity of non‐susceptible species in some geographic areas or during times of night formerly occupied by susceptible species—indicative of disease‐mediated competitive release (DMCR). Yet, this pattern has not been evaluated across multiple bat assemblages simultaneously or across multiple years since WNS onset. We evaluated whether WNS altered spatial and temporal niche partitioning in bat assemblages at four locations in the eastern United States using long‐term datasets of bat acoustic activity collected before and after WNS arrival. Activity of WNS‐susceptible bat species decreased by 79–98% from pre‐WNS levels across the four study locations, but only one of our four study sites provided strong evidence supporting the DMCR hypothesis in bats post‐WNS. These results suggest that DMCR is likely dependent on the relative difference in activity by susceptible and non‐susceptible species groups pre‐WNS and the relative decline of susceptible species post‐WNS allowing for competitive release, as well as the amount of time that had elapsed post‐WNS. Our findings challenge the generality of WNS‐mediated competitive release between susceptible and non‐susceptible species and further highlight declining activity of some non‐susceptible species, especially Lasiurus borealis, across three of four locations in the eastern United States. These results underscore the broader need for conservation efforts to address the multiple potential interacting drivers of bat declines on both WNS‐susceptible and non‐susceptible species.
Highlights
Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife are a key driver of biodiversity loss and global change worldwide (Daszak 2000, Brook et al 2008)
In West Virginia, the overall response for non-susceptible species was a decrease in activity post-White-nose syndrome (WNS) (Fig. 1a), but this pattern largely reflected decreases in activity for Lasiurus borealis (Fig. 2)
In Virginia, the overall response for nonsusceptible species was a decrease in activity post-WNS (Fig. 1a), which largely reflected decreases in activity by E. fuscus, Lasiurus borealis, and N. humeralis (Fig. 2)
Summary
Emerging infectious diseases of wildlife are a key driver of biodiversity loss and global change worldwide (Daszak 2000, Brook et al 2008). White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an infectious disease that has caused severe declines of several cave-hibernating bat species in North America since first detection in New York in 2006 (USGS National Wildlife Health Center 2019). As of 2020, WNS occurred throughout much of the eastern and central regions of the United States and southern Canada and has been detected in several locations in the western United States (USGS National Wildlife Health Center 2019). Pseudogymnoascus destructans infects the epithelial tissues of cave-hibernating bats and causes them to arouse more frequently during hibernation (Reeder et al 2012). This increased arousal reduces fat reserves and disrupts water balance, often leading to starvation- or dehydrationinduced mortality (Reeder et al 2012). Several tree-hibernating bat species have tested positive for Pd, including the eastern red bat Lasiurus borealis, the hoary bat Lasiurus cinereus, and the silver-haired bat Lasionycteris noctivagans, but because they are not typically cave-hibernators or do not use deep torpor during winter, they are generally not susceptible to WNS (Johnson et al 2013, Bernard et al 2015)
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