Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martin Koch, Julia Manecke, Jan Pablo Burgard, Ralf Muennich, Karl Kugelschafter, Andreas Kiefer, Michael Veith
Summary: Hibernation is crucial for bats in the temperate zone to lower metabolic costs during winter, but the timing of emergence from hibernation is influenced by both weather conditions and intrinsic motivation. The study shows that different bat species have varying degrees of weather dependence and their residual motivation to emerge is related to their ecological adaptation.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dragos Stefan Mantoiu, Ionut Cornel Mirea, Ionut Cosmin Sandric, Alina Georgiana Cislariu, Iulian Gherghel, Silviu Constantin, Oana Teodora Moldovan
Summary: This study utilizes an ensemble species distribution modeling approach to identify suitable habitat patches for bats in subterranean environments. By using temperature monitoring and bat distribution surveys, temperature-based variables were generated and processed through species distribution models to achieve optimal validation results, even for bats that were heavily clustered in colonies. Management measures are proposed for show caves to protect hibernating and maternity colonies.
Article
Zoology
Melissa B. Meierhofer, Samantha J. Leivers, Brian L. Pierce, Garrett W. Powers, Jonah W. Evans, Michael L. Morrison
Summary: The study found that in Texas, overwintering tricolored bats prefer shorter caves, and their presence is influenced by an increase in Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and external vapor pressure deficit. Bat abundance increases with the number of portals, cave length, NDVI, and external temperature. Combining surface data with subsurface features can aid in identifying specific karst regions and known caves within those regions for survey and management efforts.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Mas, Carles Flaquer, Xavier Puig-Montserrat, Xavier Porres, Hugo Rebelo, Adria Lopez-Baucells
Summary: This study assessed the effects of weather and landscape composition on winter bat activity, highlighting wetlands and urban areas as the most active foraging habitats. The researchers found that bat activity significantly increased when nocturnal temperatures reached around 11 degrees Celsius. Historical weather data also revealed a steady increase in winter temperatures in the Ebro Delta, which could potentially interrupt or eliminate bat hibernation in coastal Mediterranean habitats in the future. The study emphasizes the importance of wetlands in bat conservation under climate change scenarios.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Laura Garzoli, Elena Bozzetta, Katia Varello, Andrea Cappelleri, Elena Patriarca, Paolo Debernardi, Marco Riccucci, Angela Boggero, Carolina Girometta, Anna Maria Picco
Summary: While no mass mortality has been recorded so far, the specific demographic impact of white-nose syndrome (WNS) on European bats is still uncertain. Following the discovery of P. destructans in Italy, further investigations confirmed its presence in bats, particularly affecting species belonging to the genus Myotis. Other fungal dermatophytes were also observed in the study.
Article
Biology
Monika Nemcova, Veronika Seidlova, Jan Zukal, Heliana Dundarova, Sarka Bednarikova, Jiri Pikula
Summary: The evolution of heterothermy in bats enables them to survive in environments with variable temperatures by using torpor as a hibernation strategy. Cells derived from heterothermic bats can survive sub-zero temperatures and higher glucose levels improve their hibernation survival at extremely low temperatures. Other mechanisms may also contribute to cell survival at low temperatures.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Daniel F. Ramalho, Ugo M. Diniz, Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar
Summary: The increasing anthropization negatively impacts natural environments and quality of life, potentially altering ecological networks between parasites and their host bats. This can lead to less specialized relationships between parasites and hosts, increasing the likelihood of transmitting pathogens between populations of different bat species.
FRONTIERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Samantha C. Karunarathna, Danny Haelewaters, Michail S. Lionakis, Saowaluck Tibpromma, Xu Jianchu, Alice C. Hughes, Peter E. Mortimer
Summary: Fungal pathogens have gained attention in temperate woodlands and crops, but the threat from fungal pathogens of animals and their potential spread has received less attention. Bats, with their well vascularized wings and wide-ranging distributions, present potential vectors for fungi. Understanding bats as fungal vectors and their susceptibility to fungal pathogens is of particular importance for future prediction and research.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Skylar R. Hopkins, Joseph R. Hoyt, J. Paul White, Heather M. Kaarakka, Jennifer A. Redell, John E. DePue, William H. Scullon, A. Marm Kilpatrick, Kate E. Langwig
Summary: Habitat alteration can create ecological traps where hosts select habitats with high disease-induced mortality, leading to population declines. However, some individuals are able to find refugia with higher survival rates. Over time, a higher proportion of the population uses refugia, showing the potential for adaptation to minimize the impact of the pathogen.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Zoology
Samantha Hoff, Casey Pendergast, Luanne Johnson, Elizabeth Olson, Danielle O'Dell, Zara R. Dowling, Katherine M. Gorman, Carl Herzog, Wendy C. Turner
Summary: Temperate bats show seasonal and sex differences in resource selection and activity patterns influenced by environmental conditions. A study on coastal Northern Myotis populations in the northeast United States found that bats used both tree roosts and anthropogenic roosts during summer and fall. Fall activity continued until late November, with males being more active than females. Bats were tracked to local hibernacula in subterranean anthropogenic structures, potentially facilitating their survival despite the presence of white-nose syndrome. These island habitats may serve as important refugia for species recovery efforts.
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Rongping Bu, Zihao Ye, Haitao Shi
Summary: This study investigated the hibernation patterns and habitat selection of the Reeves' turtle, finding that they mainly hibernate in abandoned ponds or lands. The characteristics of terrestrial and aquatic hibernation habitats also differ.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Monika Nemcova, Veronika Seidlova, Jan Zukal, Heliana Dundarova, Katerina Zukalova, Jiri Pikula
Summary: In this study, the proliferation and functional performance of a macrophage cell line from the greater mouse-eared bat were evaluated at different temperatures to simulate hibernation, daily torpor, and euthermia. The study found that bat macrophages can proliferate at lower temperatures but at a slower rate, and their morphology, size, and adhesion ability differ at different temperatures.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sen Liu, Xufan Wang, Yue Zhu, Dongge Guo, Yanmei Wang, Ying Wang
Summary: In the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), the relative global DNA methylation levels and mRNA expression levels of certain methylation-related proteins, including DNMTs and MBPs, significantly increased in the torpid state compared to the active state. These changes may be involved in methylation or regulation of specific genes according to hibernation status, suggesting the existence of epigenetic mechanisms that facilitate the hibernation process in R. ferrumequinum.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ronny Forney, Gabriela Rios-Sotelo, Alexa Lindauer, Craig K. R. Willis, Jamie Voyles
Summary: Temperature is a critical factor in infectious diseases. This study investigates the effect of temperature fluctuations on the growth of Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats. The results show that increased exposure to high temperatures reduces Pd growth.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Reilly T. Jackson, Emma Willcox, Riley F. Bernard
Summary: This study examines the correlation between overwintering behaviors and susceptibility to white nose syndrome (WNS) in North American hibernating bats. The results show significant differences in torpor bout duration and skin temperature among different bat species. Understanding these differences can improve WNS management and provide insights into the survival techniques of different bat species during winter.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Statistics & Probability
Perry de Valpine, Daniel Turek, Christopher J. Paciorek, Clifford Anderson-Bergman, Duncan Temple Lang, Rastislav Bodik
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL AND GRAPHICAL STATISTICS
(2017)
Article
Ecology
Perry de Valpine, Katherine Scranton, Clifford P. Ohmart
ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS
(2010)
Article
Ecology
Richard Karban, Perry de Valpine
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2010)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Richard Bischof, Cyril Milleret, Pierre Dupont, Joseph Chipperfield, Mahdieh Tourani, Andres Ordiz, Perry de Valpine, Daniel Turek, J. Andrew Royle, Olivier Gimenez, Oystein Flagstad, Mikael Akesson, Linn Svensson, Henrik Broseth, Jonas Kindberg
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2020)
Review
Ecology
Ken Newman, Ruth King, Victor Elvira, Perry Valpine, Rachel S. McCrea, Byron J. T. Morgan
Summary: State-space models are a valuable tool for quantitative ecologists in analyzing time-series data. They offer flexibility and intuitive structures in describing the dynamics of complex systems, making model specification simpler. These models consist of system and observation processes, and there is a trade-off between model complexity and the fitting process.
METHODS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Statistics & Probability
Harlan Campbell, Perry de Valpine, Lauren Maxwell, Valentijn M. T. de Jong, Thomas P. A. Debray, Thomas Jaenisch, Paul Gustafson
Summary: Estimating the infection fatality rate (IFR) is challenging due to the unknown total number of cases. This is because not everyone is tested and tested individuals may not be representative of the entire population. In this study, a Bayesian model is used to estimate the COVID-19 IFR for Europe by combining information from different samples.
ANNALS OF APPLIED STATISTICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Johnny Hong, Ulas Karaoz, Perry de Valpine, William Fithian
Summary: The study found that using rarefaction technique in microbiome data can control Type I errors and reduce the impact of measurement errors on sensitivity. The rarefaction efficiency index (REI) can serve as an indicator of efficiency loss. Ultimately, the decision to rarefy or not depends on assumptions of the data generating process and characteristics of the data.
Article
Ecology
Jacob Levine, Brandon M. Collins, Zachary L. Steel, Perry de Valpine, Scott L. Stephens
Summary: The increasing severity of wildfires in California forests is linked to past forest management practices, but it is uncertain how land ownership affects these trends. A study found that high-severity fires were more likely to occur on private industrial lands compared to public lands and other lands. The incidence of high-severity fires was also higher in areas adjacent to private industrial land. These findings highlight the need for cross-boundary cooperation to protect ecological and social systems.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Yik Leung Fung, Ken Newman, Ruth King, Perry de Valpine
Summary: Population dynamics are influenced by multiple demographic processes, including survival, reproduction, somatic growth, and maturation. These processes can vary in rates or probabilities across time, location, and individuals. Ignoring the dependence between these processes in population models can lead to biased estimates and predictions.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Cyril Milleret, Soumen Dey, Pierre Dupont, Henrik Broseth, Daniel Turek, Perry de Valpine, Richard Bischof
Summary: Open-population spatial capture-recapture (OPSCR) models are used to estimate density and demographic parameters by utilizing spatial information from individual detections across multiple occasions. However, the estimation of spatial variation in vital rates within OPSCR models is not commonly practiced or extensively tested. In this study, we proposed a Bayesian OPSCR model that incorporates spatial covariates to account for spatial variation in survival, and also estimates local density-dependent effects on survival. Simulation results demonstrate that OPSCR models provide reliable inferences on the impact of spatial covariates on survival, including different spatial determinants for multiple competing sources of mortality. Estimation of local density-dependent survival was feasible but required additional data due to the complexity of the model. Failure to consider spatial heterogeneity in survival led to a positive bias of up to 10% in abundance estimates. We further demonstrate the empirical application of the model by investigating the impact of country and density on cause-specific mortality of female wolverines (Gulo gulo) in central Sweden and Norway. The ability to make population-level inferences on spatial variation in survival is a crucial step towards a fully spatially explicit OPSCR model capable of disentangling the role of multiple spatial drivers of population dynamics.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Sally Paganin, Christopher J. Paciorek, Claudia Wehrhahn, Abel Rodriguez, Sophia Rabe-Hesketh, Perry de Valpine
Summary: This article provides guidance on semiparametric IRT models and their implementation, emphasizing efficient sampling strategies and comparing inferential results between parametric and semiparametric models.
JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL STATISTICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Steven R. Beissinger, Sarah A. MacLean, Kelly J. Iknayan, Perry de Valpine
Summary: Climate and land-use change can have either amplifying or moderating effects on species depending on their concordant or opposing responses. In this study, using historical surveys and modern resurveys, we found that urbanization, warming, and drying greatly reduced bird occupancy and species richness in Los Angeles, while agricultural development, warming, and increased precipitation had stable effects in the Central Valley. The combined impacts of land-use and climate change drove temporal changes in species occupancy, with both concordant and opposing effects observed.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
John D. J. Clare, Perry de Valpine, Diana A. Moanga, Morgan W. Tingley, Steven R. Beissinger
Summary: Correlative species distribution models are commonly used to study past and future changes in species distribution. However, these models often make restrictive assumptions about forecast uncertainty and show significant differences in predictions. Therefore, we recommend that researchers prioritize characterizing forecast uncertainty when making long-term predictions instead of seeking a single best guess.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Dao Nguyen, Perry de Valpine, Yves Atchade, Daniel Turek, Nicholas Michaud, Christopher Paciorek