Sex and hibernaculum temperature predict survivorship in white-nose syndrome affected little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus)

Author

Laura E. Grieneisen
Sarah A. Brownlee-Bouboulis
Joseph S. Johnson

Files

Publication Date

January 2015

Abstract

White-nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging infectious disease caused by the novel fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has devastated North American bat populations since its discovery in 2006. The little brown myotis, Myotis lucifugus, has been especially affected. The goal of this 2-year captive study was to determine the impact of hibernacula temperature and sex on WNS survivorship in little brown myotis that displayed visible fungal infection when collected from affected hibernacula. In study 1, we found that WNS-affected male bats had increased survival over females and that bats housed at a colder temperature survived longer than those housed at warmer temperatures. In study 2, we found that WNS-affected bats housed at a colder temperature fared worse than unaffected bats. Our results demonstrate that WNS mortality varies among individuals, and that colder hibernacula are more favourable for survival. They also suggest that female bats may be more negatively affected by WNS than male bats, which has important implications for the long-term survival of the little brown myotis in eastern North America.

Keywords

Myotis, White-nose syndrome

Document Type

Article

Identifier

K26-05072

Recommended Citation

Grieneisen, Laura E.; Brownlee-Bouboulis, Sarah A.; and Johnson, Joseph S., "Sex and hibernaculum temperature predict survivorship in white-nose syndrome affected little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus)" (2015). KIP Articles. 4728.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/kip_articles/4728