Date:
January 20, 2016
Source:
United States Geological Survey
Reports
of bat deaths worldwide due to human causes largely unique to the 21st century
are markedly rising, according to a new USGS-led analysis published in Mammal
Review.
Collisions
with wind turbines worldwide and the disease white-nose syndrome in North
America lead the reported causes of mass death in bats since the onset of the
21st century. These new threats now surpass all prior known causes of bat
mortality, natural or attributed to humans.
A
comprehensive study reveals trends in the occurrence and causes of multiple
mortality events in bats as reported globally for the past 200 years, shedding
new light on the possible factors underlying population declines.
"Many
of the 1,300 species of bats on Earth are already considered threatened or
declining. Bats require high survival to ensure stable or growing
populations," said Tom O'Shea, a USGS emeritus research scientist and the
study's lead author. "The new trends in reported human-related mortality
may not be sustainable."
Bats
are long-lived, slow-breeding mammals that play vital roles in most of Earth's
ecosystems. Bats are important pollinators and seed dispersers in tropical
regions, and serve as the main predators of night flying insects in most parts
of the world. Insect-eating bats are estimated to save farmers billions of
dollars each year by providing natural pest control.
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