Search

Estimating the abundance of unmarked animal populations from acoustic data is challenging due to the inability to identify individuals and the need to adjust for observation biases including detectability (false negatives), species misclassification (false positives), and sampling exposure. Acoustic surveys conducted along mobile transects were designed to avoid counting individuals more than once, where raw counts are commonly treated as an index of abundance. More recently, false‐positive abundance models have been developed to estimate abundance while accounting for imperfect detection and misclassification. We adapted these methods to model summertime abundance and trends of three species of bats at multiple spatial scales using acoustic recordings collected along mobile transects by partners of the North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat) from 2012 to 2020. This multiscale modeling spanned individual transect routes, larger NABat grid cells (10 km × 10 km), and across the entire extent of modeled species ranges. We estimated relationships between species abundances and a suite of abiotic and biotic predictors (landcover types, climatological variables, physiographic diversity, building density, and the impacts of white‐nose syndrome [WNS]) and found varying levels of support between species. We present clear evidence of substantial declines in populations of tricolored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) and little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), declines that corresponded in space and time with the progression of WNS, a devastating disease of hibernating bats. In contrast, our analysis revealed that similar population‐wide declines probably have not occurred in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), a species known to be less affected by WNS. This study provides the first abundance‐based species distribution predictions and population trends for bats in their summer ranges in North America. These models will probably be applicable to assessing wildlife populations in other monitoring programs where acoustic data are used or where false‐negative and false‐positive detections are present. Finally, our abundance framework (as a spatial point pattern process) can serve as a foundation from which more sophisticated integrated species distribution models that incorporate additional streams of monitoring data (e.g., stationary acoustics, captures) can be developed for North American bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Carajás region is home to the largest number of iron caves in Brazil, but studies that integrate elements of biological diversity and landscape characteristics are scarce. We present the first study based on the bat cave vulnerability index (BCVI), which uses bats as a key species for prioritizing caves in South America, whose objective was to assess the biotic potential and vulnerability of caves in the Carajás region, determining priority sites and the most effective conservation actions. The study took place from August 2021 to March 2023, where an inventory of the chiropterofauna of 12 caves was carried out. We recorded 16 bat species, two of which are vulnerable to extinction – Furipterus horrens (Cuvier, 1828) and Natalus macrourus (Gervais, 1856) – and two endemics to the Amazon region – Hsunycteris aff. thomasi (Allen, 1904) and Phyllostomus latifolius (Thomas, 1901); as well as one species with insufficient data to delimit its endemicity or threat status (Lonchophyllinae sp.). Mining is the main anthropogenic activity in the region, but tourism is also present and acts as a potential source of disturbance to the caves. The BCVI revealed three high priority caves for conservation and four with medium priority, indicating that these habitats are vulnerable to species loss and population decline due to exposure to anthropogenic activities and habitat destruction, thus requiring more effective conservation strategies. Considering the uniqueness of the subterranean habitats, we recommend re‐evaluating the proposals for expanding mining activities, implementing controlled tourist visitation plans and conducting ecological studies and long‐term monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat Algorithm (BA) is a nature-inspired metaheuristic search algorithm designed to efficiently explore complex problem spaces and find near-optimal solutions. The algorithm is inspired by the echolocation behavior of bats, which acts as a signal system to estimate the distance and hunt prey. Although the BA has proven effective for various optimization problems, it exhibits limited exploration ability and susceptibility to local optima. The algorithm updates velocities and positions based on the current global best solution, causing all agents to converge toward a specific location, potentially leading to local optima issues in optimization problems. On this premise, this paper proposes the Modified Bat Algorithm (MBA) as an enhancement to address the local optima limitation observed in the original BA. MBA incorporates the frequency and velocity of the current best solution, enhancing convergence speed to the optimal solution and preventing local optima entrapment. While the original BA faces diversity issues, both the original BA and MBA are introduced. To assess MBA's performance, three sets of test functions (classical benchmark functions, CEC2005, and CEC2019) are employed, with results compared to those of the original BA, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), and Dragonfly Algorithm (DA). The outcomes demonstrate the MBA's significant superiority over other algorithms. In addition, MBA successfully addresses a real-world assignment problem (call center problem), traditionally solved using linear programming methods, with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Potentially zoonotic pathogens have been previously detected in bat-associated ticks, but their role in disease transmission and their frequency of feeding on non-bat hosts is poorly known. Methodology/Principal findings: We used molecular blood meal analysis to reveal feeding patterns of the bat-associated tick species Ixodes ariadnae, I. simplex, and I. vespertilionis collected from cave and mine walls in Central and Southeastern Europe. Vertebrate DNA, predominantly from bats, was detected in 43.5% of the samples (70 of 161 ticks) but in these ticks we also detected the DNA of non-chiropteran hosts, such as dog, Canis lupus familiaris, wild boar, Sus scrofa, and horse, Equus caballus, suggesting that bat-associated ticks may exhibit a much broader host range than previously thought, including domestic and wild mammals. Furthermore, we detected the zoonotic bacteria Neoehrlichia mikurensis in bat ticks for the first time, and other bacteria, such as Bartonella and Wolbachia. Conclusions/Significance: In the light of these findings, the role of bat ticks as disease vectors should be urgently re-evaluated in more diverse host systems, as they may contribute to pathogen transmission between bats and non-chiropteran hosts. Author summary: Ticks found on bats might carry diseases that can be important for both animal and human health. In this study we collected three species of bat ticks and used molecular methods to demonstrate their feeding habits and to explore the pathogens they carry. We found that most of the ticks had been feeding on bats, but we also found evidence of blood meals from domestic and wild animals, such as dogs, wild boars, and horses. We also found several bacteria in these ticks that can infect or potentially infect humans and animals. These results indicate that bat ticks could be a potential link between bats and non-bat hosts and may help spread diseases between them. Learning about how ticks interact with different host species is critical to understanding the ecology and spread of wildlife disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This work provides an overview on the impact of bats' diet on their intestinal microorganism community and its influence on potential pathogenicity. Human expansion generates natural habitat alterations, which force bats to seek alternative sites, leading to contact with other animals, including humans. Exploring the relationship between the dietary habits of bats and the variety of their microbiome could contribute elucidating the potential role of bats as reservoirs of multidrug-resistant microorganisms and their implications in the dissemination of mutating viruses and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment and possibly in their transmission to human and to domestic and wild animals. In this review, we tentatively tried to connect the most recent findings on the bat microbiome and to investigate on their microbial communities, that may vary even in conspecific hosts and are influenced by host physiology, feeding behavior and diet, social interactions, but also by habitat diversity and climate change. From a conservation perspective, understanding the potentially negative and indirect effects of habitat destruction on animal microbiota can also play a crucial role in the conservation and management of the host itself. According to the One Health concept, which recognizes an interdependence between humans, animals, and the environment, bat microbiota represents an indicator of host and environmental health, besides allowing for evaluation of the risk of emerging infectious diseases. We noticed that a growing number of studies suggest that animal microbiota may respond in various ways to changes in land use, particularly when such changes lead to altered or deficient food resources. We have highlighted that the current literature is strongly focused on the initial phase of investigating the microbial communities found in Chiroptera from various habitats. However, there are gaps in effectively assessing the impacts of pathogens and microbial communities in general in animal conservation, veterinary, and public health. A deeper understanding of bat microbiomes is paramount to the implementation of correct habitat and host management and to the development of effective surveillance protocols worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat call signal analysis is an important research topic, which is meaningful for bat species identification, and the design of various biomimetic systems. In addition to the commonly used methods in the time-frequency domain, the fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) is a valuable signal processing tool, as it is a generalization of the Fourier transform. However, the FRFT is constrained to the analysis of the linear frequency modulated–like bat call signal, while the modulation of the harmonics in a bat call is often nonlinear. For this reason, this paper proposes an integral transform, named matched power-frequency–modulated (PFM) signal transform (MPST), which is also the generalization of the Fourier transform, more precisely, a time-warping Fourier transform. As with the limitation of FRFT, the MPST is constrained to the analysis of the PFM-like bat call with the instantaneous frequency defined as an approximate power function abut time, in which the power can be an arbitrary positive integer or a fraction. The applications of MPST on the PFM-modeled bat call analysis are mainly parameter estimation and harmonic separation, and the performance is fully validated using the recordings of the feeding buzzes, social calls, and distress calls from the European bats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are among the least well-known mammals, particularly in terms of their behavior and activity patterns during the winter. Here, we use passive acoustic monitoring to overcome some of the challenges inherent in surveying cryptic forest bats during the wet season to quantify overwintering behavior for 11 species in California coast redwood forests under varying microclimates. Because different species are active at different forest heights, we also examined the effect of acoustic detector placement (treetop or ground level). Generalized linear mixed models were used to relate acoustic detection probability for 8 species to daytime and nighttime temperature, relative humidity, water vapor pressure, and detector placement. The results indicate that daytime maximum temperature best explained variation in nightly probability of detection, and temperature threshold at which bats were predicted to be detected varied considerably across species. By using more precise species detection methods, we were able to resolve significant differences in activity patterns between Myotis yumanensis and M. californicus , 2 species with similar acoustic signatures that are often lumped together. Myotis californicus was predicted to have a 50% probability of detection at maximum daytime temperature as low as 12.5 °C, whereas M. yumanensis was not predicted to have 50% detection probability until maximum daytime temperature was at least 22 °C, suggesting that M. californicus spends less time in torpor. Also, monitoring at the top of the canopy revealed 4 migratory species to be present in the ecosystem on significantly more monitoring nights than could be observed using conventional ground-based monitoring methods. Improving winter bat survey methods provides evidence that diverse bat species are more active in redwood forests during the winter than previously documented. This finding suggests that coastal forests could provide important winter bat habitat for both resident and migratory species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North American bat populations have experienced precipitous declines since the introduction of white-nose syndrome (WNS). Evidence that bats have responded to WNS by altering their winter habitat selection has been used to manipulate underground environments and improve winter survival. However, such management practices must be based on local data, which do not exist for all regions. Our goal was to identify determinants of winter habitat use for 3 bat species with varying susceptibility to WNS. To do so, we conducted 188 surveys of 129 potential hibernacula over 3 winters. We found that the range of winter temperatures and presence of water were important for the Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus) and Tricolored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus), species that are highly susceptible to WNS. Counts of both species were greater in sites with a narrow (<5 °C) temperature range and where streams or water bodies >25 m2 were present. In addition, we found larger groups of Little Brown Myotis in abandoned railroad tunnels than in caves. Winter counts of these species increased over time at 3 railroad tunnels that were surveyed for 3 consecutive winters, whereas populations were extirpated from historically important caves and mines. Counts of Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus), which are less susceptible to WNS, were also greater in hibernacula with water bodies. However, average winter temperature also helped predict counts of Big Brown Bats. This species had a curvilinear response to temperature, with most bats found at hibernacula with average winter temperatures of 4 to 6 °C, and fewer bats observed at warmer and colder conditions. These data show that focusing solely on historically important hibernacula may fail to achieve conservation goals for the Little Brown Myotis and Tricolored Bat in our region, and suggest that anthropogenic structures can provide habitat for remnant populations of imperiled bat species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial light at night has been considered an emerging threat to global biodiversity. However, the impacts of artificial light on foraging behavior in most wild animals remain largely unclear. Here, we aimed to assess whether artificial light affects foraging behavior in Asian parti‐colored bats (Vespertilio sinensis). We manipulated the spectra of light‐emitting diode (LED) lighting in a laboratory. Using video and audio recording, we monitored foraging onset, total foraging time, food consumption, freezing behavior (temporary cessation of body movement), and echolocation vocalizations in triads of bats under each lighting condition. Analyses showed that the foraging activities of experimental bats were reduced under LED light. Green, yellow, and red light had greater negative effects on bats' foraging onset, total foraging time, and food consumption than white and blue light. LED light of different spectra induced increased freezing time and echolocation vocalizations in captive bats, except for the white light. The peak wavelength of light emission correlated positively with freezing time, estimated echolocation pulse rate (the number of echolocation pulses per minute), and foraging onset, but negatively with total foraging time and food consumption. These results demonstrate that artificial light disturbs foraging behavior in Asian parti‐colored bats. Our findings have implications for understanding the influencing mechanism of light pollution on bat foraging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As human activities continue to negatively affect bat populations, bat conservation efforts continue to rely on questionnaires to understand human actions toward bats; however, the use of questionnaires constrains understanding by limiting the sample size to those who choose to participate, being subject to selection bias, and overall may not be the most efficient way of understanding sentiments and behaviors toward bats. We used social media to analyze sentiment toward bat exploitation behaviors in Asia and evaluated the influence that these posts have on users in the region. We gathered and analyzed a total of 458 social media posts and 2,427 comments throughout Asia utilizing keywords and hashtags in 16 languages. We found that nearly 90% of initial posts discussing bat exploitations were discussed in an acceptive, pro-bat exploitation way. Initial posts from Southeast and South Asia showed acceptance of bat exploitation. Comments on posts from Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia, were acceptive of bat exploitation for food and medicine, whereas comments on posts from South Asia were rejective of bat exploitation, in contrast, with the initial South Asian posts, which were more acceptive of persecution of bats. We recommend using social media platforms to promote messages that reject bat exploitation and encourage bat conservation efforts as our results indicate that positive messages receive mostly positive comments, reinforcing the importance of protecting bats. Moreover, we suggest future work be conducted using social media to further understand region-specific narratives for and against bat exploitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maros-Pangkep karst formation in South Sulawesi is one of the largest karst environments in the world. One of the caves located in the area is Leang Londrong, which is a part of the management of Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park. The Leang Londrong area is known as a tourism spot with waterbased tourism as the main attraction and it is also known as the main ecosystem service provider, in particular, as water sources for many areas. This cave is inhabited by some species of bats. Eventhough the area is now designated for water-based tourism, other potential tourism objects, such as bats roosting inside the cave, has not been explored for tourism development. Therefore, this study attempts to examine the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of the local community and visitors visiting the area towards nature, caves, bats and its conservation, as well as bat-cave tourism development. The study was conducted in January–April 2022 by distributing questionnaires to 86 respondents consisted of the local community, visitors, and government representatives. The results indicated that in general, the respondents had limited knowledge of nature, caves, bats, and their conservation. In particular with bats, the majority of the respondents had not yet been familiar with bats, understood the roles of bats in the environment, and tended to ignore the existence of bats. However, in relation to nature and conservation, bat conservation, and the development of cave and bat tourism in Leang Londrong, most of visitor respondents agreed to support (>85%) and for the locals, the number was even higher (>90%). Therefore, such support from the locals and visitors could make bat-cave conservation through tourism development in Leang Londrong possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wetlands are important habitats for insectivorous bats, as the presence of water promotes insect abundance and provides drinking water for wildlife, and therefore could promote bat conservation. Research on bats and wetlands has mainly focused on constructed wetlands, and with a geographical emphasis on eastern United States and central Europe, whereas relatively little is known about the effects of wetland restoration on bats, especially in the boreal zone. We conducted a Before‐After‐Control‐Impact (BACI) study in 21 wetlands. Using acoustic survey techniques, we collected information on bats both before and after restoration, with 7 of the 21 wetlands acting as control sites and 14 as impact (i.e., restored) sites. Acoustic surveys were conducted in May–September in the years 2018, 2019 (before restoration) and in 2021 and 2022 (after restoration). Species detection for each night was assessed by automated analysis of audio recordings. We assessed the presence and number of active minutes of the Northern bat (Eptesicus nilssonii) and the Myotis species group, using a generalized linear mixed model. Wetland restoration increased the acoustic activity of both taxa, but not their presence. Thus, restoration increased the usage of wetlands as a feeding site for bats. Our BACI study provides strong evidence that wetland restoration caused an increase in bat activity, and can be used as an effective tool for bat conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bats are a reservoir for many viruses causing haemorrhagic fevers. Proximity to bats is a risk factor for virus spillover to animals and humans. We conducted this study to assess knowledge, perceptions, and exposure to bats in communities living near bat roosts in Bundibugyo District, Uganda. Methods: A cross-sectional study using mixed methods with both quantitative and qualitative data was conducted between September and December 2022. Participants for the quantitative data (survey) (n = 384) resided near bat caves and/or roost sites and were selected using multistage random sampling. The survey investigated participants' prior exposure to bats, as well as knowledge and perceptions of bat exposure. Logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with bat exposure. Participants for the qualitative data (focus group discussions) (n = 10, 6–8 participants each) were purposely selected based on engagement in guano mining, hunting, and farming activities. Perceived risk associated with bat-related activities were identified and ranked in the focus group discussions using participatory epidemiology tools. Results: In total, (214/384, 55.7%) had a history of bat exposure and (208/384, 54.2%) had poor knowledge of risk factors associated with bat exposure. Increased exposure to bats was associated with being male (OR = 1.6; 95% CI: 1.0, 2.4 p-value = 0.038), staying in urban areas (OR = 1.9; p-value = 0.010), hunting (OR = 10.9; p-value = 0.024), and positive perception to bat guano being safe as fertiliser (OR = 2.5; p-value = 0.045). During the proportional piling process, a total of 7 risk factors were identified by 10 groups with hunting during an outbreak and consumption of bats being the most frequently identified. Overall, there was a strong statistical agreement in the ranking across the 10 focus groups (W = 0.52; p < 0.01; n = 10). Based on the provided data, the adjusted odds ratio of 0.7 for the good measures (p-value = 0.112), suggests a potential protective effect on the risk of bat exposure. Conclusion: Communities living around bat roosts frequently come into contact with bats, yet there is inadequate awareness regarding the behaviors that can lead to the transmission of bat- borne diseases to humans. It is essential to undertake educational initiatives and preventive measures to minimise the risks of bat-related infections. The need for targeted health communication and education efforts to address these knowledge gaps and promote an accurate understanding of bats and disease transmission. Understanding of diseases associated with bats will minimize bat-related health risks especially in communities engaged in wildlife hunting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife conservation involves making management decisions with incomplete knowledge of ecological relationships. Efforts to augment foraging resources for the endangered Mexican long‐nosed bat (Leptonycteris nivalis) are progressing despite limited knowledge about the species' foraging behavior and requirements. This study aimed to understand L. nivalis responses to floral resource availability, focusing on individual agave‐ and local‐scale characteristics influencing visitation rates to flowering agaves. We observed bat visitation at 62 flowering agaves around two roosts in northeast Mexico on 46 nights in the summers of 2017 and 2018. We found visitation rate had positive relationships with two agave‐scale characteristics: the number of umbels with open flowers and the lower vertical position on the stalk of those umbels (i.e., earlier phenological stages of flowering). However, these factors exhibited strong negative interaction: with few umbels with open flowers, the position of flowering umbels had little effect on visitation rate, but when umbels with open flowers were abundant, visitation rate was more strongly related to the lower flowering umbel position. We also found relationships between visitation rate and two local‐scale characteristics: negative for the density of flowering conspecifics within 30 m of the focal agave and positive for the density of dead standing agave stalks within 30 m. Our findings suggest opportunities to augment foraging resources for L. nivalis in ways that are consistent with their foraging behavior, including: increasing the supply of simultaneously blooming flowers by planting agave species that tend to have more umbels with simultaneously open flowers; planting multiple species of agaves with different flowering times to increase the availability of agaves with open flowers on lower‐positioned umbels throughout the period when bats are present in the region; planting agaves in clusters; and keeping dead standing agave stalks on the landscape. Our study points to useful management strategies that can be implemented and monitored as part of an adaptive management approach to aid in conservation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ecological interaction between fleshy fruits and frugivores is influenced by diverse mixtures of secondary metabolites that naturally occur in the fruit pulp. Although some fruit secondary metabolites have a primary role in defending the pulp against antagonistic frugivores, these metabolites also potentially affect mutualistic interactions. The physiological impact of these secondary metabolites on mutualistic frugivores remains largely unexplored. Using a mutualistic fruit bat (Carollia perspicillata), we showed that ingesting four secondary metabolites commonly found in plant tissues affects bat foraging behavior and induces changes in the fecal metabolome. Our behavioral trials showed that the metabolites tested typically deter bats. Our metabolomic surveys suggest that secondary metabolites alter, either by increasing or decreasing, the absorption of essential macronutrients. These behavioral and physiological effects vary based on the specific identity and concentration of the metabolite tested. Our results also suggest that a portion of the secondary metabolites consumed is excreted by the bat intact or slightly modified. By identifying key shifts in the fecal metabolome of a mutualistic frugivore caused by secondary metabolite consumption, this study improves our understanding of the effects of fruit chemistry on frugivore physiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insectivorous bats in temperate zones have evolved strategies such as migration or hibernation to overcome challenges of reduced resource availability and increased energy demand during winter. In the southeastern United States Coastal Plain, bats are either year‐round residents and remain active during winter or are migrants from colder areas seeking milder temperatures. Southeastern Coastal Plain forests also may represent important areas for remnant populations of species impacted by white‐nose syndrome. Working pine (Pinus spp.) forests comprise a large proportion of southeastern Coastal Plain forests, yet winter bat habitat associations and how forest management affects bat use remain understudied. Hence, we used hierarchical multispecies spatial occupancy models to evaluate factors influencing winter bat occupancy and foraging habitat associations in working forests of the southeastern Coastal Plain. From January to March 2020–2022, we deployed Anabat Swift acoustic detectors and measured site‐ and landscape‐level covariates on six working landscapes. We detected five species of bats and three species groups at 93% (224/240) of sites. We observed higher species richness at sites with high proportions of contiguous forest and low levels of basal area. At the species level, occupancy patterns were influenced by site and landscape covariates, which had varying effects on species with distinct foraging strategies. Temperature was an important predictor of detectability. Our findings offer new insights into the ecology of bats in working forest landscapes during winter, where we highlight positive responses in occupancy with contiguous forests and lower levels of basal area, as in previous summer work. By providing valuable information on winter community composition and foraging habitat associations, we hope to guide management decisions for forest attributes important to these species, thus increasing conservation opportunities within working forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acoustic surveys of bat echolocation calls are an important management tool for determining presence and probable absence of threatened and endangered bat species. In the northeastern United States, software programs such as Bat Call Identification (BCID), Kaleidoscope Pro (KPro), and Sonobat can automatically classify ultrasonic detector sound files, yet the programs' accuracy in correctly classifying calls to species has not been independently assessed. We used 1,500 full-spectrum reference calls with known identities for nine northeastern United States bat species to test the accuracy of these programs using calculations of Positive Predictive Value (PPV), Negative Predictive Value (NPV), Sensitivity (SN), Specificity (SP), Overall Accuracy, and No Information Rate. We found that BCID performed less accurately than other programs, likely because it only operates on zero-crossing data and may be less accurate for recordings converted from full-spectrum to zero-crossing. NPV and SP values were high across all species categories for SonoBat and KPro, indicating these programs' success at avoiding false positives. However, PPV and SN values were relatively low, particularly for individual Myotis species, indicating these programs are prone to false negatives. SonoBat and KPro performed better when distinguishing Myotis species from non-Myotis species. We expect less accuracy from these programs for acoustic recordings collected under normal working conditions, and caution that a bat acoustic expert should verify automatically classified files when making species-specific regulatory or conservation decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predation reduces the population density of prey, affecting its fitness and population dynamics. Few studies have connected trait changes with fitness consequences in prey and the molecular basis and metabolic mechanisms of such changes in bat-insect systems. This study focuses on the responses of Helicoverpa armigera to different predation risks, focusing on echolocating bats and their calls. Substantial modifications were observed in the nocturnal and diurnal activities of H. armigera under predation risk, with enhanced evasion behaviors. Accelerated development and decreased fitness were observed under predation risks. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses indicated that exposure to bats induced the upregulation of amino acid metabolism- and antioxidant pathway-related genes, reflecting shifts in resource utilization in response to oxidative stress. Exposure to bat predation risks enhanced the activity of DNA damage repair pathways and suppressed energy metabolism, contributing to the observed trait changes and fitness decreases. The current results underscore the complex adaptive strategies that prey species evolve in response to predation risk, enhancing our understanding of the predator–prey dynamic and offering valuable insights for innovative and ecologically informed pest management strategies. Helicoverpa armigera shows adaptive trait changes under bat predation risk, with increased evasion, accelerated development, and fitness decreases. Molecular analyses reveal shifts in metabolism and stress response pathways linked to these changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat‐borne pathogens are a threat to global health and in recent history have had major impacts on human morbidity and mortality. Examples include diseases such as rabies, Nipah virus encephalitis, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Climate change may exacerbate the emergence of bat‐borne pathogens by affecting the ecology of bats in tropical ecosystems. Here, we report the impacts of climate change on the distributional ecology of the common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus across the last century. Our retrospective analysis revealed a positive relationship between changes in climate and the northern expansion of the distribution of D. rotundus in North America. Furthermore, we also found a reduction in the standard deviation of temperatures at D. rotundus capture locations during the last century, expressed as more consistent, less‐seasonal climate in recent years. These results elucidate an association between D. rotundus range expansion and a continental‐level rise in rabies virus spillover transmission from D. rotundus to cattle in the last 50 years of the 120‐year study period. This correlative study, based on field observations, offers empirical evidence supporting previous statistical and mathematical simulation‐based studies reporting a likely increase of bat‐borne diseases in response to climate change. We conclude that the D. rotundus rabies system exemplifies the consequences of climate change augmentation at the wildlife–livestock–human interface, demonstrating how global change acts upon these complex and interconnected systems to drive increased disease emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BAT algorithm is a nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm that depends on the principle of the echolocation behavior of bats. However, due to poor exploration, the algorithm suffers from being stuck in the local optima. An improved BAT algorithm based on the density-based clustering technique is proposed to enhance the algorithm's performance. In this paper, the initial population is improved by generating two populations, randomly and depending on the clusters' center information, and by getting the fittest individuals from these two populations, the initial improved one is generated. The random walk function is improved using chaotic maps instead of the fixed-size movement, so the local search is improved, as well as the global search abilities, by diversifying the solutions. Another improvement is dealing with stagnation by partitioning the search space into two parts depending on the generated clusters' information to obtain the newly generated solution, comparing their quality with the previously generated solution, and choosing the best. The performance of the proposed improved BAT algorithm is evaluated by comparing it with the original BAT algorithm over ten benchmark optimization test functions. Depending on the results, the improved BAT outperforms the original BAT by obtaining the optimal global solutions for most of the benchmark test functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are the second largest mammalian order and are an endangered species group with a strong need for contamination monitoring. To facilitate non-invasive monitoring of the ecological burden in bat populations, a multiresidue method for the simultaneous quantification of 119 analytes including pesticides, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), UV blockers, plasticizers, and other emerging pollutants in bat guano with gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was developed. Sample preparation and clean-up were performed with a modified QuEChERS approach based on DIN EN 15662. The method uses 1.00 g bat guano as sample with acetonitrile and water for liquid-liquid extraction. Phase separation is assisted by citrate-buffered salting out agent. For clean-up of the extract, primary secondary amine (PSA) was combined with graphitized carbon black (GCB). The lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) ranged between 2.5 and 250 µg kg−1. Linearity was shown in a concentration range from the respective LLOQs to 1250 µg kg−1. The median of the mean recovery was 102.4%. Precision was tested at three concentrations. Method and injection precision were adequate with a relative standard deviation (RSD) below 20%. Furthermore, the comparative analysis with LC-MS/MS demonstrated the reliability of the results and provided a valuable extension of the analytical scope. As proof of concept, three guano samples from a German nursery roost of Myotis myotis were analysed. The results show a time-dependent change in contaminant concentration, highlighting the strong need for non-invasive contamination monitoring of whole bat populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy production is growing rapidly worldwide in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, wind energy production is not environmentally neutral. Negative impacts on volant animals, such as bats, include fatalities at turbines and habitat loss due to land-use change and displacement. Siting turbines away from ecologically sensitive areas and implementing measures to reduce fatalities are critical to protecting bat populations. Restricting turbine operations during periods of high bat activity is the most effective form of mitigation currently available to reduce fatalities. Compensating for habitat loss and offsetting mortality are not often practiced, because meaningful offsets are lacking. Legal frameworks to prevent or mitigate the negative impacts of wind energy on bats are absent in most countries, especially in emerging markets. Therefore, governments and lending institutions are key in reconciling wind energy production with biodiversity goals by requiring sufficient environmental standards for wind energy projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pilbara leaf-nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia 'Pilbara form') is a threatened insectivorous microbat endemic to the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It is at risk of significant population decline, particularly due to habitat loss from mining. To address its key threats, stakeholders from a range of backgrounds collectively listed and prioritised research actions in 2013. This exercise was repeated in 2022 to evaluate and update progress of the research priorities. We conducted a review of scientific and grey literature (2013–2023) to: (1) identify the work undertaken to date that addressed the research priorities identified in the 2013 stakeholder workshop; (2) identify the current knowledge gaps in Pilbara leaf-nosed bat ecology, conservation, and threatening processes; and (3) highlight how these gaps relate to the newly ranked 2022 priority list for both research and management outcomes. We found that the 2013 research priorities were largely unaddressed, with most publications and unpublished industry reports in the review period primarily reporting presence or monitoring data around areas of interest to the resources sector, with minimal focus on the species' conservation or management directly. Therefore, the knowledge gaps identified in 2013 were still largely relevant in 2022. Further targeted research is required to meet the 2022 priorities and better understand the habitat characteristics, movement ecology, disturbance buffer requirements, and cumulative impacts of mining on Pilbara leaf-nosed bat colonies. Overall, targeted research beyond traditional mining outputs, changes to regulatory procedure, and collaborative, adaptive management, are key to supporting the long-term persistence of Pilbara leaf-nosed bats. Collaborative effort is required to prevent the decline of the threatened Pilbara leaf-nosed bat. A combination of stakeholders came together in 2013, and then again in 2022, to determine key actions required for the conservation of the species. Analysis of studies from the past decade indicates that many of the 2013 targets were largely unaddressed, meaning that higher accountability and changes such as in regulatory procedure will be required to ensure the 2022 targets are met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat boxes can be employed to provide short-term mitigation for the loss of trees with bat roost potential. Traditionally bat box utilisation (by long-tailed bats) has been difficult to confirm in NZ, partly due to a lack of published survey techniques to confirm bat box utilisation when bats are not present at the time of sampling. While environmental deoxyribonucleic acid (eDNA) has been widely applied as a biomonitoring tool, it has not been used previously in the context of bat box surveys in New Zealand. Here we present a method for collecting eDNA from bat boxes using swabs and test the efficacy of eDNA in validating bat box utilisation as confirmation of roosting. Bat boxes were deployed by the Hamilton City Council as part of the bat mitigation strategy for the Southern Links Project in southern Hamilton. The eDNA method confirmed a total of 25 boxes out of the 73 (34%) included in this study were being utilised by long-tailed bats. The results indicate that eDNA can be applied with confidence to demonstrate box use, even at very low and infrequent occupancy rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Passive integrated transponders (PIT tags) can aid in the collection of important demographic data for species for which other methods, such as GPS technology, are not suitable. PIT tags can be particularly suitable to monitor small and cryptic species like bats and permit inference on their behavioral ecology. Literature for several species of bats states that females change their nightly activity patterns—going out and in of the roost only once per night during gestation compared to several times during lactation. Hence, we tested whether PIT tag detection patterns could be used to infer reproductive status and parturition date of female bats. From 2017 to 2021, we recorded detections of PIT-tagged little brown (Myotis lucifugus) and northern long-eared bats (M. septentrionalis) at the entrance of 2 maternity roosts in Québec and Newfoundland, Canada. We also used the maternity roost in Québec as a case study to further evaluate the potential of this method to link behavior and demography and investigated factors affecting parturition date. We were able to infer reproductive status for 63% to 97% of tagged individuals detected during both the gestation and the lactation periods, and parturition date for 61% to 95% of reproductive individuals, depending on the year and roost. Early spring arrival at the roost and warm spring mean temperature at night were associated with earlier parturition dates. Herein, we highlight that PIT tag systems may be useful to detect changes in activity patterns of female bats and infer individual reproductive parameters, which is on the long-term less stressful for bats and easier for researchers. We demonstrate that this approach is useful to investigate intrinsic and extrinsic factors of reproductive parameters, improving our understanding of bat population dynamics resulting in more informed population management decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel hybrid optimization algorithm named bat-salp swarm algorithm (BASSA). BASSA integrates the local exploitation capability of bat algorithm (BA) and the global exploration capability of salp swarm algorithm (SSA). Firstly, by introducing the echolocation of BA, the follower updating strategy of SSA is improved. Secondly, the algorithm selects between BA and SSA based on specific conditions. Finally, individuals undergo random differential mutation to increase population diversity, thereby avoiding local optima. To verify the effectiveness of the algorithm, we carry out experiments BASSA on 23 benchmark functions with different dimensions and compare it with 7 optimization algorithms, including BA, SSA, and 7 enhanced versions of SSA. Simulation results indicate that BASSA outperforms standard BA, SSA, and other enhanced algorithms in terms of mean and standard deviation. This suggests a significant improvement in optimization performance, with higher solution accuracy and faster convergence speed. Additionally, through performance evaluation on three real engineering problems, the results indicate that BASSA possesses strong optimization capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are tolerant to highly pathogenic viruses such as Marburg, Ebola, and Nipah, suggesting the presence of a unique immune tolerance toward viral infection. Here, we compared severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection of human and bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) pluripotent cells and fibroblasts. Since bat cells do not express an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor that allows virus infection, we transduced the human ACE2 (hA) receptor into the cells and found that transduced cells can be infected with SARS-CoV-2. Compared to human embryonic stem cells-hA, infected bat induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs)-hA produced about a 100-fold lower level of infectious virus and displayed lower toxicity. In contrast, bat embryonic fibroblast-hA produced no infectious virus while being infectable and synthesizing viral RNA and proteins, suggesting abortive infection. Indeed, electron microscopy failed to detect virus-like particles in infected bat fibroblasts in contrast to bat iPSCs or human cells, consistent with the latter producing infectious viruses. This suggests that bat somatic but not pluripotent cells have an effective mechanism to control virus replication. Consistent with previous results by others, we find that bat cells have a constitutively activated innate immune system, which might limit SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to human cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Synchronopatric plant species, coexisting and flowering simultaneously, often engage in intense competition for pollen deposition on shared pollinators. This study focuses on the intricate dynamics of chiropterophilous flowers within the neotropical bat-pollination plant guild, specifically investigating the mechanical fit of reproductive structures to pollinating bats at the community level. Methods: Utilizing a diverse guild of bat-pollinated plant species from the Caatinga, the largest dry forest in the Neotropics, our research integrates various key components. Initially, we identified specific contact sites for floral reproductive structures on the bat's body, exploring diverse pollen placement strategies. Subsequent efforts involved characterizing floral traits within the guild and examining their associations with different pollen placement strategies. Precision in the contact of floral reproductive structures was estimated, and findings were integrated by associating pollen placement strategies and precision with the investment in pollen production. Results: We found that certain bat body parts, particularly the face and neck, were more frequently contacted by reproductive structures. The three identified categories of pollen placement strategies were evenly distributed among plant species, each linked to specific floral traits. Notably, the absence of oriented herkogamy prevailed in 70% of the species. Morphometric analyses unveiled significant variations in operative distances among species, emphasizing exceptional variability in certain outliers. While precision in pollen transfer was influenced by key factors, surprisingly, investment in pollen production did not differ among plants with distinct pollen placement strategies. Furthermore, it showed no correlation with fundamental accuracy. Conclusions: The subsequent exploration delves into the intricate associations between distinct floral characteristics and various pollen placement strategies, shaping the complex pollen landscape on bat bodies. This research provides valuable insights into the community-level dynamics of chiropterophilous flowers in the Caatinga Dry Forest, emphasizing the role of different pollen deposition strategies in facilitating the coexistence of multiple plant species within the chiropterophilous guild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat boxes can be employed to provide mitigation for the loss of trees with bat roost potential. Eighty bat boxes were deployed by the Hamilton City Council as part of the bat mitigation strategy for the Southern Links Project in southern Hamilton. Several contemporary methods were employed to determine bat box occupancy to ensure effective monitoring. This included visual scoring assessments (e.g. staining, wetness), endoscope surveys, thermal imaging, and eDNA. Emergence survey data were provided by the University of Waikato which provided further insight into the accuracy of the methods. Jointly the methods confirmed the use of 34 Kent style boxes (n = 70; 49%). Indicating a high success rate of box utilisation over a relatively short period (two years). Of the methods, eDNA confirmed the largest percentage of bat box use. Comparatively, thermal imaging provided an alternative and less intrusive means of surveying on-the-day bat presence. However, there were instances where survey conditions (e.g. terrain, vegetation clutter, solar irradiance, rainfall) influenced the reliability of thermal imaging. While visual assessment and thermal imaging cannot be solely relied on, they provide a supportive tool for other monitoring techniques. They can help guide the application of more definitive methods such as eDNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollination is an ecosystem process that is crucial to maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function. Bats are important pollinators in the tropics and are an integral part of complex plant–pollinator interaction networks. However, network analysis–based approaches are still scarce at the plant species and bat community levels. We used metabarcoding to identify plant taxa present in pollen from fur and faecal samples collected across 1 year from three nectar‐feeding bat roosts in central Mexico. We calculated the frequency of occurrence of plant taxa and assembled a zoocentric network of bat–plant interactions. We constructed a year‐long network, encompassing the entire period of sampling, two seasonal networks comprising the wet and dry seasons, and six individual networks from sampling at two‐month intervals across the year. Four species of nectar‐feeding bats interacted with 36 plant species from 16 families. We found highly generalised interaction patterns across networks corresponding with opportunistic feeding behaviour by bats, with little seasonal variation in network structure. There was high resource overlap between bat species, and bats visited a diverse range of plant species even during periods with a high abundance of particular resources in the landscape. The diverse diet of nectar‐feeding bats emphasises the importance of floristically rich natural habitats in the landscape to provide reliable foraging resources year‐round in a seasonally variable system. While a generalised network structure is thought to increase robustness, further research is necessary to understand how fluctuations in pollinator abundance and diversity in the face of land use and climate change may impact bat–flower networks and the consequences to plant communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue Addressed: Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) is a fatal zoonosis, which can be transmitted to humans through scratches or bites from infected bats. Currently, there is a lack of research evaluating risk communication resources about ABLV or the dangers from handling bats. The purpose of this study was to field test resources aimed at educating the public about risks to humans and bats from human‐bat interaction, then update these resources based upon feedback to ensure they were relevant and appropriately targeted to the public. Methods: Thirteen semi‐structured interviews with a purposive sample of participants chosen for maximum variation of age and sex were conducted. Two investigators analysed the data independently using a deductive approach and then came to consensus by discussion. Results: The main themes were a wide‐ranging level of knowledge and opinions about bats, the resources having an effect on people, and messaging in relation to children and pets being particularly important. Conclusion: This study highlighted the complexities of risk communication to a broad audience with varied experience and knowledge about bats, and the importance of evaluation prior to implementation to ensure risk communication is relevant and appealing to the intended audience. So What?: Field testing of health education material prior to implementation is an effective way to ensure key messages are understood, and is important when communicating about fatal but preventable zoonoses such as ABLV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Wireless sensor networks consist of several autonomous nodes that are outfitted with sensors, radio, processors, memory storage, and power sources. These nodes track, sense, and send data using radio. While establishing a network, the two most essential characteristics are coverage and connectivity. For better connectivity and a longer network life, it's important to make the coverage area as big as possible with the fewest number of sensor nodes. The goal of this research is to make a connected sensor network that uses less energy and can be used in situations where the sensors need to be placed in the best way to make the network last as long as possible. The probabilistic sensing model is used, and improved network lifetime is the goal of the research work by using problem‐specific intelligent optimization techniques like BAT, ACO, and JOA to maximize the coverage area with respect to energy and points of interest. This work introduces a novel approach that optimizes both coverage and connectivity. The modified binary bat algorithm overcomes computational complexities and local optima observed in existing methods. Uniquely, it models the three states of each sensor node and includes innovative features like a greedy initialization and a weighted cost function for improving network efficiency. After investigation, it was analyzed that the proposed solution significantly improves network lifetime by over 10% to 12% compared to existing methods like JOA and ACO. The proposed approach converges faster and performs more efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factors that influence the parasite load in a host bat include sex, age, reproductive condition, health, and body condition. Among the ectoparasitic mites found on bats, species from the family Chirodiscidae are commonly observed on molossid bats. This study aimed to analyse the parasitism of Dentocarpus silvai on Molossus molossus in two roosts, discussing the ecology of the host–ectoparasite relationship. We sampled a colony of M. molossus sheltering in the roof lining of a house and in the hollow of a Mangifera indica tree located on Itacuruçá Island, Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil. A total of 495 D. silvai were collected from 176 M. molossus. Parasitological indices (mean intensity and prevalence) were higher in the tree hollow than in the roof lining, with females being more heavily parasitized than males. Among the six models evaluated, bat abundance best explained the variation in the number of mites. The dispersal success and infestation of D. silvai are associated with roost commuting by individuals (mainly females) of M. molossus that favours the infestation of new bats, which may extend the parasite occurrence. The present study is the first to analyse the infestation of D. silvai on a host species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rabies is a zoonotic disease caused by Lyssavirus of the family Rhabdoviridae, affecting all warm-blooded animals. Although a vast majority of the cases are canine-mediated, many cases of bat-mediated rabies in humans have been documented since the early part of the 20th century. Different lineages of Lyssavirus have been detected in bat populations across Africa, Eurasia and Australia. Although there is no direct evidence of the prevalence of bat Lyssavirus in India thus far, indirect evidences are emerging of late. This has significant public health implications considering the not so infrequent human bat interactions in a country like India. In view of the absence of any systematic surveillance of bat rabies especially in the context of Assam state, a preliminary study was conducted to determine the prevalence of bat lyssavirus in Assam. Methods: 34 brain samples belonging to nine species of bats were collected from fourteen locations in eight districts of Assam, for detection of bat Lyssavirus by Lateral Flow Assay (LFA), Direct Fluorescent Antibody Technique (DFA) and One-step PCR at KVAFSUCVA Rabies Diagnostic Laboratory, WOAH Rabies Reference Laboratory, Veterinary College, Bengaluru, Karnataka-560 024. Result: None of the samples were positive for lyssavirus indicating absence of an active lyssaviral infection in the representative bat population under study. However, considering the small sample size mere absence of the lyssavirus antigen among bats in the present study does not preclude the pathogen's presence in bat populations across the state or occurrence in the future, considering the rapidly dynamic state of ecology and environment. Continuous surveillance through One-Health collaboration is essential to monitor the status of bat rabies in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addition to the availability of water and invertebrate prey, roost sites are considered the main factors enabling bats to survive in desert areas. Because suitable roost sites are often limiting resources, human constructions are also important for these animals. Conversely, in the context of built heritage conservation, bats are often discussed as a cause of damages. However, if historic structures deteriorate, they may lose their suitability as roosting sites for bats. This study examines how the condition of domed tombs in Sudan affects their use by bats. Inspections of 19 tombs revealed that bats occupied only undamaged structures, with 1652 individuals of four species found. Slightly and partially damaged tombs were not used by bats. These findings highlight the importance of preserving man‐made structures as critical roosting sites in arid environments to support local bat populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel bat H17N10 and H18N11 influenza A viruses (IAVs) are incapable of reassortment with conventional IAVs during co-infection. To date, the underlying mechanisms that inhibit bat and conventional IAV reassortment remain poorly understood. Herein, we used the bat influenza M gene in the PR8 H1N1 virus genetic background to determine the molecular basis that restricts reassortment of segment 7. Our results showed that NEP and M1 from bat H17N10 and H18N11 can interact with PR8 M1 and NEP, resulting in mediating PR8 viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) nuclear export and formation of virus-like particles with single vRNP. Further studies demonstrated that the incompatible packaging signals (PSs) of H17N10 or H18N11 M segment led to the failure to rescue recombinant viruses in the PR8 genetic background. Recombinant PR8 viruses (rPR8psH18M and rPR8psH17M) containing bat influenza M coding region flanked with the PR8 M PSs were rescued but displayed lower replication in contrast to the parental PR8 virus, which is due to a low efficiency of recombinant virus uncoating correlating with the functions of the bat M2. Our studies reveal molecular mechanisms of the M gene that hinder reassortment between bat and conventional IAVs, which will help to understand the biology of novel bat IAVs. IMPORTANCE Reassortment is one of the mechanisms in fast evolution of influenza A viruses (IAVs) and responsible for generating pandemic strains. To date, why novel bat IAVs are incapable of reassorting with conventional IAVs remains completely understood. Here, we attempted to rescue recombinant PR8 viruses with M segment from bat IAVs to understand the molecular mechanisms in hindering their reassortment. Results showed that bat influenza NEP and M1 have similar functions as respective counterparts of PR8 to medicating viral ribonucleoprotein nuclear export. Moreover, the incompatible packaging signals of M genes from bat and conventional IAVs and impaired bat M2 functions are the major reasons to hinder their reassortment. Recombinant PR8 viruses with bat influenza M open reading frames were generated but showed attenuation, which correlated with the functions of the bat M2 protein. Our studies provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms that restrict reassortment between bat and conventional IAVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural environmental pollution needs to be reduced in our future. The biggest obstacles to preventing this situation are that agricultural inputs such as synthetic fertilizers increase product yield and scattered agricultural areas. This study involves the optimization of the production process of an easy-to-apply organic fertilizer with high nutritional value by subjecting bat guano, one of the valuable organic fertilizers, to anaerobic digestion together with cattle manure. Response surface method Box-Behnken design, a statistical model, was used for process optimization. The process input parameters were temperature, cattle manure, and bat manure, and the response value was considered as 2% total nitrogen. As a result of the optimization for a total nitrogen value of 2%, the optimum mixture ratio was determined as cattle manure 77.0448%, bat manure 12%, and temperature 40 °C. Analysis results showed that the addition of bat manure increased the N, P, K, and humic and fulvic acid values in the fertilizer. The study revealed that strong organic fertilizers can be used to increase the value of cattle manure organically. It also offers very promising results based on reducing agricultural pollution and ensuring agricultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats play a pivotal role in maintaining ecological balance, and studying their behaviors offers vital insights into environmental health and aids in conservation efforts. Determining the presence of various bat species in an environment is essential for many bat studies. Specialized audio sensors can be used to record bat echolocation calls that can then be used to identify bat species. However, the complexity of bat calls presents a significant challenge, necessitating expert analysis and extensive time for accurate interpretation. Recent advances in neural networks can help identify bat species automatically from their echolocation calls. Such neural networks can be integrated into a complete end-to-end system that leverages recent internet of things (IoT) technologies with long-range, low-powered communication protocols to implement automated acoustical monitoring. This paper presents the design and implementation of such a system that uses a tiny neural network for interpreting sensor data derived from bat echolocation signals. A highly compact convolutional neural network (CNN) model was developed that demonstrated excellent performance in bat species identification, achieving an F1-score of 0.9578 and an accuracy rate of 97.5%. The neural network was deployed, and its performance was evaluated on various alternative edge devices, including the NVIDIA Jetson Nano and Google Coral. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Bats represent a diverse and ecologically significant mammalian group characterized by different feeding habits. Despite the gut microbiota influence on feeding habits, microbiome studies are scarce in South American bats, in a region considered a hot spot for bat biodiversity. Our study in Southern Brazil compared the gut microbiota of four bat species with different diets: nectarivorous, frugivorous, insectivorous, and hematophagous. We found that each species had unique gut microbiotas linked to their dietary habits, impacting their metabolic potentials. The presence of potentially harmful bacteria varied with feeding habits, suggesting a correlation between diet and microbial pathogens in bats. These insights emphasize the importance of preserving diverse habitats and food sources to support the conservation of bats and their ecosystems. Bats are a diverse and ecologically important group of mammals that exhibit remarkable diversity in their feeding habits. These diverse feeding habits are thought to be reflected in the composition and function of their gut microbiota, which plays important roles in nutrient acquisition, immune function, and overall health. Despite the rich biodiversity of bat species in South America, there is a lack of microbiome studies focusing on bats from this region. Such studies could offer major insights into conservation efforts and the preservation of biodiversity in South America. In this work, we aimed to compare the gut microbiota of four bat species with different feeding habits from Southern Brazil, including nectarivorous, frugivorous, insectivorous, and hematophagous bats. Our findings demonstrate that feeding habits can have a significant impact on the diversity and composition of bat gut microbiotas, with each species exhibiting unique metabolic potentials related to their dietary niches. In addition, the identification of potentially pathogenic bacteria suggests that the carriage of microbial pathogens by bats may vary, depending on feeding habits and host-specific factors. These findings provide novel insights into the relationship between bat feeding habits and gut microbiota composition, highlighting the need to promote diverse habitats and food sources to support these ecologically important species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bat population estimates are typically made during winter, although this is only feasible for bats that aggregate in hibernacula. While it is essential to measure summer bat population sizes for management, we lack a reliable method. Acoustic surveys should be less expensive and more efficient than capture surveys, and acoustic activity data are already used as indices of population size. Although we currently cannot differentiate individual bats by their calls, we can enter call counts, information on signal and detection angles, and weather data into generalized random encounter models to estimate bat density. We assessed the utility of generalized random encounter models for estimating Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) population density with acoustic data collected at 51 total sites in six conservation areas in northeast Missouri, 2019–2021. We tested the effects of year, volancy period, conservation area, and their interactions on estimated density. Volancy period was the best predictor, with average predicted density increasing 60% from pre‐volancy (46 bats/km2) to post‐volancy (74 bats/km2); however, the magnitude of the effect differed by conservation area. We showed that passive acoustic surveys yield informative density estimates that are responsive to temporal changes in bat population size, which suggests this method may be useful for long‐term monitoring. However, we need more information to choose the most appropriate values for the density estimation formula. Future work to refine this approach should include assessments of bat behavior and detection parameters and testing the method's efficacy in areas where population sizes are known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unusually projecting human ear is known as a prominent ear, otapostasis, or bat ear. It might be both bilateral and unilateral. The scapha and antihelix of the big concha are not well formed. It is the outcome of cartilage deformity that occurred during early ear development in utero. After the child reaches five years old, the abnormality can be corrected at any time. In order to prevent psychological suffering, the procedure should ideally be performed as soon as possible. Otoplasty correction is reshaping the ear cartilage to bring the ear closer to the side of the head. The cartilage is reshaped, but the skin is left in place. Hearing remains unaffected by the operation. It is mainly done for aesthetic reasons. Although they are uncommon, the post-operative consequences from the operation include hematoma development, keloid formation, infection, and asymmetry in the ears. Otoplasty is a cosmetic operation that involves permanent sutures to alter the size, shape, or location of the ear. The main purpose of otoplasty is to treat promin auris, or bulging ears. Promin auris, the principal indication for otoplasty, is the subject of this review. The indications, contraindications, and method utilized in otoplasty are reviewed in this exercise, which also emphasizes the need of pre- and post-operative care for patients having this surgery. Otoplasty results are generally lifelong and will improve the self-confidence. The goals of otoplasties are to make the ears appear more natural in comparison to the head and help with the overall contour of the ears. Final ear surgery results will be visible after a two week recovery period, with small improvements appearing for up to 12 months post-procedure. A proper understanding of the diagnosis, indications, and surgical techniques will lead to positive outcomes in otoplasty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure effective resource allocation for urban bike demand, it is crucial to accurately predict shared bike rental counts. This prediction process was carried out using the Gradient Boosted Machine (GBM) method optimized with the Bat Algorithm (BA). To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, its performance was compared with different methods such as Decision Tree (DT), k-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP). For this comparison, metrics such as Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Mean Squared Error (MSE), Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE), and R-squared (R²) were employed. The best results were achieved by BA-GBM with values of 1.8665 MAE, 2.9588 MSE, 8.7545 RMSE, and 0.9264 R². Additionally, the features with the most and least impact on bike rental prediction were identified. The most influential features were found to be temperature and time of day, while the least influential features were snowfall and year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increases in the prevalence of melanoma, the most lethal form of skin cancer, have been observed over the last few decades. However, the likelihood of a longer life span for individuals is considerably improved with early detection of this malignant illness. Even though the field of computer vision has attained a certain level of success, there is still a degree of ambiguity that represents an unresolved research challenge. In the initial phase of this study, the primary objective is to improve the information derived from input features by combining multiple deep models with the proposed Information‐theoretic feature fusion method. Subsequently, in the second phase, the study aims to decrease the redundant and noisy information through down‐sampling using the proposed entropy‐controlled binary bat selection algorithm. The proposed methodology effectively maintains the integrity of the original feature space, resulting in the creation of highly distinctive feature information. In order to obtain the desired set of features, three contemporary deep models are employed via transfer learning: Inception‐Resnet V2, DenseNet‐201, and Nasnet Mobile. By combining feature fusion and selection techniques, we may effectively fuse a significant amount of information into the feature vector and subsequently remove any redundant feature information. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is supported by an evaluation conducted on three well‐known dermoscopic datasets, specifically PH2$$ {\mathrm{PH}}^2 $$, ISIC‐2016, and ISIC‐2017. In order to validate the proposed approach, several performance indicators are taken into account, such as accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, false negative rate (FNR), false positive rate (FPR), and F1‐score. The accuracies obtained for all datasets utilizing the proposed methodology are 99.05%, 96.26%, and 95.71%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-lived, group living animals have the potential to form multiyear relationships. In some temperate bat species, maternity groups break apart and rejoin both daily, as females depart to forage and select day roosts to use, and annually, as bats leave for and return from hibernation. Here, we investigated whether bats have persistent social preferences by testing whether relationships between dyads in a focal year could be predicted by previous years. We also hypothesized that experience influences social preferences and predicted that an individual's age would influence its network position, while familiarity with bats of the same cohort would drive persistent social preferences. We quantified roost co-occurrence in little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus) in Salmonier Nature Park, Newfoundland, Canada both within and among years. We found that roost co-occurrence patterns of previous years still had predictive value even when accounting for potential roost fidelity. However, we found no evidence that cohort familiarity or age explained any of the variation. Overall, we found long-term patterns of association in this temperate bat species that suggest levels of social complexity akin to other large mammal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Egyptian rousette bats (ERBs) are implicated as reservoir hosts for Marburg virus (MARV), but natural mechanisms involved in maintenance of MARV in ERB populations remain undefined. A number of hematophagous ectoparasites, including fleas, parasitize bats. Subcutaneous (SC) inoculation of ERBs with MARV consistently results in viremia, suggesting that infectious MARV could be ingested by blood-sucking ectoparasites during feeding. In our study, MARV RNA was detected in fleas that took a blood meal during feeding on viremic bats on days 3, 7, and 11 after SC inoculation. Virus concentration in individual ectoparasites was consistent with detectable levels of viremia in the blood of infected host bats. There was neither seroconversion nor viremia in control bats kept in close contact with MARV-infected bats infested with fleas for up to 40 days post-exposure. In fleas inoculated intracoelomically, MARV was detected up to 14 days after intracoelomic (IC) inoculation, but the virus concentration was lower than that delivered in the inoculum. All bats that had been infested with inoculated, viremic fleas remained virologically and serologically negative up to 38 days after infestation. Of 493 fleas collected from a wild ERB colony in Matlapitsi Cave, South Africa, where the enzootic transmission of MARV occurs, all tested negative for MARV RNA. While our findings seem to demonstrate that bat fleas lack vectorial capacity to transmit MARV biologically, their role in mechanical transmission should not be discounted. Regular blood-feeds, intra- and interhost mobility, direct feeding on blood vessels resulting in venous damage, and roosting behaviour of ERBs provide a potential physical bridge for MARV dissemination in densely populated cave-dwelling bats by fleas. The virus transfer might take place through inoculation of skin, mucosal membranes, and wounds when contaminated fleas are squashed during auto- and allogrooming, eating, biting, or fighting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of bats are killed at wind energy facilities worldwide, yet the behavioural mechanisms underlying why bats are vulnerable to wind turbines remain unclear. Anthropogenic stimuli that alter perceptions of the environment, known as sensory pollution, could create ecological traps and cause bat mortality at wind farms.We review the sensory abilities of bats to evaluate potential stimuli associated with wind farms and examine the role of spatial scale on the perceptual mechanisms of sensory pollutants associated with wind energy facilities.Audition, vision, somatosensation and olfaction are sensory modalities that bats use to perceive their environment, including wind farms and turbine structures, but they will not all be useful at the same spatial scales.Bats most likely use vision to perceive wind farms on the landscape, and obstruction lighting may be the first sensory cue to attract bats to wind farms from kilometres away.Research that assesses the risks posed by specific sensory pollutants, when conducted at the appropriate scale, can help identify solutions to reduce bat mortality, such as determining the attractiveness of obstruction lighting to bats at a landscape scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection leads to around 800,000 deaths yearly and is considered to be a major public health problem worldwide. However, HBV origins remain poorly understood. Here, we looked for bat HBV (BtHBV) in different bat species in Gabon to investigate the role of these animals as carriers of ancestral hepadnaviruses because these viruses are much more diverse in bats than in other host species. DNA was extracted from 859 bat livers belonging to 11 species collected in caves and villages in the southeast of Gabon and analyzed using PCRs targeting the surface gene. Positive samples were sequenced using the Sanger method. BtHBV DNA was detected in 64 (7.4%) individuals belonging to eight species mainly collected in caves. Thirty-six (36) sequences among the 37 obtained after sequencing were phylogenetically close to the RBHBV strain recently isolated in Gabonese bats, while the remaining sequence was close to a rodent HBV strain isolated in America. The generalized linear mixed model showed that the variable species best explained the occurrence of BtHBV infection in bats. The discovery of a BtHBV strain homologous to a rodent strain in bats raises the possibility that these animals may be carriers of ancestral hepadnaviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Forestry Reclamation Approach (FRA) is a practical guide to reforesting surface mined lands. Bats, a group of mammals with declining populations, could benefit from mine reforestation. To determine if the FRA can provide suitable bat foraging habitat, we surveyed bat activity at created depressional wetlands on 1-year-old and 8-year-old FRA reforested lands (FRA1; FRA8), wetlands in naturally regenerating forest on traditionally reclaimed mined land (~40 years old; REGEN), and wetlands in mature forest not previously mined (MAT). We passively recorded echolocation calls for 12 nights across 16 sites between June and August 2021. We analyzed bat activity using the number of recordings, pulses, and feeding buzzes in conjunction with nocturnal insect abundance and biomass, microhabitat characteristics, and landscape characteristics via generalized linear mixed effects modeling. Both FRA1 and FRA8 had activity levels similar to MAT. REGEN had significantly greater foraging activity than the other three land classes, possibly due to its distance from roads and proximity to forest edges. Insect abundance and biomass were comparable across sites, indicating FRA practices do not hinder the establishment of a prey base for bats. Overall, bats are utilizing the restored mined land for foraging. Reforestation of mined lands, complemented with wetland creation, provides habitat that could benefit bat species conservation in Appalachia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In North America, white‐nose syndrome (WNS) has caused precipitous declines in hibernating bat populations, raising the question of whether the rapid loss of arthropodivorous bats may affect the abundance of their prey. During the summers of 2015–2018 (1 year after the arrival of WNS in Wisconsin, USA), we performed intensive arthropod black‐light trapping, ultrasonic acoustic monitoring, and emergence counts at 10 little brown (Myotis lucifugus) and big brown (Eptesicus fuscus) bat maternity roosts with paired control sites. For little brown bats, which are severely affected by WNS, roost counts declined by 95% over the four‐year period, compared to a 38% decline in big brown bat roost counts. Total arthropod abundance decreased by 49%, although decreases among common little brown bat prey were less severe. Our natural predator exclusion experiment supports existing evidence that bats can have measurable trophic impacts on arthropod communities, primarily via top‐down effects on common prey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tricolored Bat is an imperiled species due to white-nose syndrome. There is limited information available on roosting and foraging area use of the species to support planning and management efforts to benefit recovery in the Southeastern United States. Female tricolored bats exit hibernation and allocate energy toward disease recovery, migration, and reproduction. Providing and managing for summer habitat is 1 strategy to promote recovery. We sought to: (1) determine local- and landscape-scale factors that influence female Tricolored Bat roost selection; (2) quantify land cover use in core and overall foraging areas; and (3) define foraging area size and distances traveled by female tricolored bats in Tennessee. Bats in this study roosted in trees of variable sizes, in multiple tree species with large canopy volumes, and almost always roosted in trees with dead leaf foliage suspended in the canopy. Forest plots used by bats had trees averaging 30 cm diameter at breast height, basal areas averaging 27 m2/ha, contained multiple tree species, and comprised around a 50:50 ratio of canopy and subcanopy trees. Bats did not roost in coniferous forest areas and were only located in deciduous and mixed forest areas. Bats foraged near and directly over water, in open areas, and along forest edges. This study increases our knowledge on habitat requirements of the species in a temperate region dominated by unfragmented forests and many large water bodies and serves a baseline for management and efforts to benefit survival, reproduction, and population recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]