Title
An Emerging Disease Causes Regional Population Collapse of a Common North American Bat Species
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Publication Date
August 2010
Abstract
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging disease affecting hibernating bats in eastern North America that causes mass mortality and precipitous population declines in winter hibernacula. First discovered in 2006 in New York State, WNS is spreading rapidly across eastern North America and currently affects seven species. Mortality associated with WNS is causing a regional population collapse and is predicted to lead to regional extinction of the little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus), previously one of the most common bat species in North America. Novel diseases can have serious impacts on naïve wildlife populations, which in turn can have substantial impacts on ecosystem integrity.
Keywords
White-Nose Syndrome, Wns, Bat Diseases, Bat Hibernation, Bat Mortality, Bats, North America, Bats In North America, Eastern North America, Myotis Lucifugus
Type
Article
Identifier
SFS0040929_00001
Recommended Citation
Frick, Winifred F.; Pollock, Jacob F.; Hicks, Alan C.; Langwig, Kate E.; Reynolds, D. Scott; Turner, Gregory G.; Butchkoski, Calvin M.; and Kunz, Thomas H., "An Emerging Disease Causes Regional Population Collapse of a Common North American Bat Species" (2010). KIP Articles. 146.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/146