Local News
Local bats free from white-nose syndrome
By GARRETT NEESE, DMG Writer
POSTED: April 30, 2008
QUINCY TOWNSHIP — A mysterious ailment resulting in mass die-offs of bats in the northeastern U.S. has yet to turn up in Michigan, researchers say.
White nose syndrome, first reported in the winter of 2006-07, has led to mortality rates of up to 95 percent in some bat populations.
The affected bats are unusually gaunt, lacking the stores of fat that sustain them through hibernation.
Caves in at least three states — New York, Connecticut and Vermont — have had outbreaks of the syndrome, characterized by clumps of dead or dying bats near the entrances to the caves. Those bats that do get out have trouble finding insects, and are more vulnerable to predators.
“They’re trying to make a decision: ‘Do I go out there and find something even though it’s the middle of winter, or do I stay in here and die?’” said Allen Kurta, a bat researcher and professor of biology at Eastern Michigan University.
The cause is unknown. Many of the malnourished bats have been found dotted with white fungal rings that give the syndrome its name. However, most researchers believe the fungus is only a symptom of the illness.
Several people investigated the bat caves in the Copper Country recently after a flock of large birds were spotted circling the Cliff Mine. A search turned up no evidence of dead bats, said Allan Johnson, a Michigan Technological University professor emeritus of mining engineering; similar trips to bat enclosures at the Quincy Mine Hoist or the Seneca No. 3 Mine also turned up nothing.
“Hopefully, it won’t spread to here, or won’t be as bad, because there are a lot of different mines,” he said.
A depleted bat population would have several drawbacks. It could mean fewer fruits, some of which result from bat pollination. And it eliminates a big predator of insects; Kurta said a pregnant brown bat will consume more than her body weight each night.
“It’s very conceivable that if you’re killing thousands of brown bats, there’s going to be more insects,” he said.
Evidence of the syndrome is popping up in neighboring states.
Dead bats from three southwestern Pennsylvania counties are being tested.
Bats found dead in a West Virginia cave earlier this month are also being tested for white-nose syndrome, the Charleston Gazette reported Tuesday. While the bats had the common white fungal rings, they appeared of be of normal weight.
There’s no known direct migratory path to Michigan from New York, Kurta said. A possible path could come through Pennsylvania and the Ohio River valley to Indiana, which has bats that fly to Michigan.
Gauging how likely that is depends upon the syndrome’s cause and how it’s transmitted.
Researchers are busy trying to find an explanation. Bat Conservation International, a bat conservation group, is cosponsoring a meeting of experts in June to discuss the evidence.
“You can’t prevent the spread, you can’t correct the problem, until you know what’s the problem,” Kurta said.
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com
White nose syndrome, first reported in the winter of 2006-07, has led to mortality rates of up to 95 percent in some bat populations.
The affected bats are unusually gaunt, lacking the stores of fat that sustain them through hibernation.
Caves in at least three states — New York, Connecticut and Vermont — have had outbreaks of the syndrome, characterized by clumps of dead or dying bats near the entrances to the caves. Those bats that do get out have trouble finding insects, and are more vulnerable to predators.
“They’re trying to make a decision: ‘Do I go out there and find something even though it’s the middle of winter, or do I stay in here and die?’” said Allen Kurta, a bat researcher and professor of biology at Eastern Michigan University.
The cause is unknown. Many of the malnourished bats have been found dotted with white fungal rings that give the syndrome its name. However, most researchers believe the fungus is only a symptom of the illness.
Several people investigated the bat caves in the Copper Country recently after a flock of large birds were spotted circling the Cliff Mine. A search turned up no evidence of dead bats, said Allan Johnson, a Michigan Technological University professor emeritus of mining engineering; similar trips to bat enclosures at the Quincy Mine Hoist or the Seneca No. 3 Mine also turned up nothing.
“Hopefully, it won’t spread to here, or won’t be as bad, because there are a lot of different mines,” he said.
A depleted bat population would have several drawbacks. It could mean fewer fruits, some of which result from bat pollination. And it eliminates a big predator of insects; Kurta said a pregnant brown bat will consume more than her body weight each night.
“It’s very conceivable that if you’re killing thousands of brown bats, there’s going to be more insects,” he said.
Evidence of the syndrome is popping up in neighboring states.
Dead bats from three southwestern Pennsylvania counties are being tested.
Bats found dead in a West Virginia cave earlier this month are also being tested for white-nose syndrome, the Charleston Gazette reported Tuesday. While the bats had the common white fungal rings, they appeared of be of normal weight.
There’s no known direct migratory path to Michigan from New York, Kurta said. A possible path could come through Pennsylvania and the Ohio River valley to Indiana, which has bats that fly to Michigan.
Gauging how likely that is depends upon the syndrome’s cause and how it’s transmitted.
Researchers are busy trying to find an explanation. Bat Conservation International, a bat conservation group, is cosponsoring a meeting of experts in June to discuss the evidence.
“You can’t prevent the spread, you can’t correct the problem, until you know what’s the problem,” Kurta said.
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com
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