Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones
Abstract To examine the challenges faced by free-ranging Rousettus aegyptiacus living at the northern edge of their distribution, we performed a retrospective analysis of 2196 clinical cases reported by a bat rescue NGO over a period of 36 months, from throughout Israel. All cases of injured bats we...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2022-10-01
|
| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21076-9 |
| _version_ | 1797996047547498496 |
|---|---|
| author | Maya Weinberg Omer Mazar Adi Rachum Xing Chen Sophia Goutink Nora Lifshitz Rona Winter-Livneh Gábor Á. Czirják Yossi Yovel |
| author_facet | Maya Weinberg Omer Mazar Adi Rachum Xing Chen Sophia Goutink Nora Lifshitz Rona Winter-Livneh Gábor Á. Czirják Yossi Yovel |
| author_sort | Maya Weinberg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract To examine the challenges faced by free-ranging Rousettus aegyptiacus living at the northern edge of their distribution, we performed a retrospective analysis of 2196 clinical cases reported by a bat rescue NGO over a period of 36 months, from throughout Israel. All cases of injured bats were evaluated and categorized according to date, place, sex, age, and etiology of the morbidity. The data analysis revealed an increase in all types of morbidity during the wintertime, with more than two-fold the number of cases per week compared to in the summer, over three consecutive years. Moreover, we found that the number of abandoned pups peaked during spring and summer, when adult morbidity is minimal. We characterized two prominent types of previously undescribed morbidities in R. aegyptiacus. We also employed GPS tracking to monitor the movement and foraging of dozens of bats, and to examine the potential correlates of elevated winter morbidity. Our results suggest that it is mainly harsh weather that drives the observed winter morbidity, with food limitations playing a minor-role. We hypothesize that R. aegyptiacus, of tropical origin, is facing major seasonal survival difficulties near the northern edge of its distribution, probably limiting its spread further northwards still. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:11:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9ac68c20a8e4bfd89d840df5208c7f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:11:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9ac68c20a8e4bfd89d840df5208c7f82022-12-22T04:30:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-10-011211910.1038/s41598-022-21076-9Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zonesMaya Weinberg0Omer Mazar1Adi Rachum2Xing Chen3Sophia Goutink4Nora Lifshitz5Rona Winter-Livneh6Gábor Á. Czirják7Yossi Yovel8School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversitySagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv UniversitySchool of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversitySchool of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversitySchool of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversityAmutat Atalef, The Israeli Bat Sanctuary (NGO)Open Landscape Institute (OLI), The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel-Aviv UniversityDepartment of Wildlife Diseases, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife ResearchSchool of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv UniversityAbstract To examine the challenges faced by free-ranging Rousettus aegyptiacus living at the northern edge of their distribution, we performed a retrospective analysis of 2196 clinical cases reported by a bat rescue NGO over a period of 36 months, from throughout Israel. All cases of injured bats were evaluated and categorized according to date, place, sex, age, and etiology of the morbidity. The data analysis revealed an increase in all types of morbidity during the wintertime, with more than two-fold the number of cases per week compared to in the summer, over three consecutive years. Moreover, we found that the number of abandoned pups peaked during spring and summer, when adult morbidity is minimal. We characterized two prominent types of previously undescribed morbidities in R. aegyptiacus. We also employed GPS tracking to monitor the movement and foraging of dozens of bats, and to examine the potential correlates of elevated winter morbidity. Our results suggest that it is mainly harsh weather that drives the observed winter morbidity, with food limitations playing a minor-role. We hypothesize that R. aegyptiacus, of tropical origin, is facing major seasonal survival difficulties near the northern edge of its distribution, probably limiting its spread further northwards still.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21076-9 |
| spellingShingle | Maya Weinberg Omer Mazar Adi Rachum Xing Chen Sophia Goutink Nora Lifshitz Rona Winter-Livneh Gábor Á. Czirják Yossi Yovel Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones Scientific Reports |
| title | Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones |
| title_full | Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones |
| title_short | Seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones |
| title_sort | seasonal challenges of tropical bats in temperate zones |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-21076-9 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mayaweinberg seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT omermazar seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT adirachum seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT xingchen seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT sophiagoutink seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT noralifshitz seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT ronawinterlivneh seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT gaboraczirjak seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones AT yossiyovel seasonalchallengesoftropicalbatsintemperatezones |