The effect of sociality on transmission and spread of a multi-host pathogen

University Of California-Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz CA

Investigators

Abstract

White-Nose Syndrome is a fungal disease that affects bats hibernating in caves. Since it was first identified in the eastern United States in 2006, the disease has spread from cave to cave across the Northeast, as far south as Tennessee, and as far west as Oklahoma and Ontario. Over a million bats have died from the fungus, called Geomyces destructans or Gd by scientists, which flourishes in the cool conditions of caves. The goal of this research project is to gain a better understanding how the disease is transmitted at local, regional, and continental scales. The researchers will focus in particular on bat social behavior, such as the size of congregating groups and assortment within groups, which are known to vary both within and between bat species during different seasons. They hypothesize that disease transmission from bat to bat and cave to cave is affected by temporal and spatial variation in how bat social groups are organized. They will collect data to see if transmission increases with colony size and with how often and for how long bats are aroused during hibernation; if cave temperature and humidity affect the growth of the fungus; if the number of different bat species present in a region influences the prevalence of the disease; if some species are more susceptible than others; and if geographic latitude and having more places to hibernate in a given area promotes the development and spread of White-Nose Syndrome in local bat populations. The researchers will use these data to create a predictive behavior-based model of disease transmission. Bats are significant in North American ecology because they control insects and pollinate plants. Understanding how this devastating disease develops and spreads is critical to protecting bat populations and the ecosystem services they provide. The researchers, who come from multiple disciplines and several universities (Boston University, the University of California-Santa Cruz, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Tennessee), also will train graduate and undergraduate students in the conduct of the research. They will share their results with resource managers and policy makers at state and federal levels, and will participate in Congressional briefings and in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service's White-Nose Syndrome National Plan.