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Bats are known for their gregarious social behaviour, often congregating in caves and underground habitats, where they play a pivotal role in providing various ecosystem services. Studying bat behaviour remains an underexplored aspect of bat ecology and conservation despite its ecological importance.We explored the costs and impacts of overcrowding on bat social behaviour. This study examined variations in bat behavioural patterns between two distinct groups, aggregated and non‐aggregated male Rousettus amplexicaudatus, within the Monfort Bat Cave Sanctuary on Mindanao Island, Philippines.We found significant variations in the incident frequencies of various bat behavioural activities, particularly aggression and movement, between these two groups. The increase in aggregation was closely related to negative social behaviour among bats.In contrast, sexual behaviour was significantly related to the positive behaviour of individual bats and was headed in less crowded areas. The disparities in bat behaviour with an apparent decline in bat social behaviour because of overcrowding, with more aggressive behaviours emerging, align with the 'behavioural sink' hypothesis.Our study underscores the importance of considering habitat quality and resource availability in the management and conservation of bat colonies, as these factors can reduce the occurrence of aggressive and negative social behaviours in colonies with high population density by providing alternative habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Longterm data is vital for management, but is frequently missing for many ecosystems. • Cave ecosystems are neglected hotspots of diversity and endemism. • Developing baselines for these systems requires integrating diverse data. • We discuss methods to reconstruct cave histories based on multiple data types. • Understanding past change and drivers may facilitate improved conservation. Whilst restoration and recovery of ecosystems has become a major priority, developing a baseline of what biodiversity was like prior to disturbance, and what might have driven changes in wildlife populations often remains unknown in many systems. Challenging to access ecosystems, such as subterranean ecosystems which cannot be monitored by remote sensing and frequently have very little information provide a significant challenge to understanding how biodiversity patterns may have changed, and how they might be more effectively managed. Caves represent unique ecosystems, key sites for our own human history, but with their unique conditions and stability can provide insights into their own past use as well as an index of local climate and vegetation. In addition, caves host many of the worlds over 1400 bat species, meaning that the ability to reconstruct past population trajectories may facilitate their conservation, as well as that of the many other, often undescribed cave dependant species. Here we discuss the various types of data from biological, chemical, geological and social that can be used to reconstruct the past history of cave sites across various timescales. We discuss the considerations needed for each approach as well as providing examples to guide the application of such approaches to better understand cave systems and their varying uses over time, and highlight how such data may facilitate cave management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined both historical (1960s) and recent (2017) specimens of an insectivorous bat species (Hipposideros armiger) and a phytophagous bat (Rousettus leschenaultii) from the same latitudinal range to explore phenotypic responses to environmental change in China over the past 65 years. Hipposideros armiger exhibited significant increases in forearm length and three diet-related cranial traits, as well as carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition, suggesting that modern H. armige r must travel farther for food and may now use different food resources. In contrast, R. leschenaultii showed no change in forearm length but displayed significant increases in diet-related cranial traits. This study provides evidence for differential responses to recent environmental changes in bat species with different diets. The changes in diet-related traits of the two species and the forearm length change on the insectivorous bats suggest that recent phenotypic changes may be adaptions to land-use changes rather than to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of bats (chiropterophagy) is globally known in 237 bird species. However, bat predation by a non-raptor is rarely observed. Here, we report a predation event by an endemic Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus) on a Greater short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) in Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot in southern India. This opportunistic record, and other published instances of animal consumption by this hornbill, suggests that such predation activity may be more prevalent during their breeding season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant efforts have been made to characterize viral diversity in bats from China. Many of these studies were prospective and focused mainly on Rhinolophus bats that could be related to zoonotic events. However, other species of bats that are part of ecosystems identified as virus diversity hotspots have not been studied in-depth. We analyzed the virome of a group of Myotis fimbriatus bats collected from the Yunnan Province during 2020. The virome of M. fimbriatus revealed the presence of families of pathogenic viruses such as Coronavirus, Astrovirus, Mastadenovirus, and Picornavirus, among others. The viral sequences identified in M. fimbriatus were characterized by significant divergence from other known viral sequences of bat origin. Complex phylogenetic landscapes implying a tendency of co-specificity and relationships with viruses from other mammals characterize these groups. The most prevalent and abundant virus in M. fimbriatus individuals was an alphacoronavirus. The genome of this virus shows evidence of recombination and is likely the product of ancestral host-switch. The close phylogenetic and ecological relationship of some species of the Myotis genus in China may have played an important role in the emergence of this alphacoronavirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bats are routinely neglected in conservation, often regarded as uncharismatic and constantly maligned despite their provision of economic and ecosystem services. Yet many species are threatened, and while the loss of roosting and foraging habitat has been explored, the impacts of hunting on species survival are less well understood. Here, we analysed the hunting risk of 1320 bat species (of 1400 known) from around the world and explored the association between ecological traits and socioeconomic variables. Globally, at least 19 % of species are threatened by hunting. Large-bodied bats with narrow distributions are at increased risk of hunting, particularly in tropical regions. Multiple threats, such as habitat loss and modification, are likely to exacerbate the pressures experienced by hunted species. Furthermore, accessibility to bat habitats and low-income drive bat hunting in developing countries. With the global economic recession and the need for economic recovery following the pandemic, hunters may rely more on wildlife for subsistence and pose a threat to both biodiversity and public health. Achieving the balance between economics and conserving biodiversity is challenging due to socioeconomic factors, and the complex interplay of different forms of threat. Therefore, interventions to reduce bat hunting activities should include greater investment to facilitate sustainable livelihood development in the rural economy, and elevating public knowledge about bat ecosystem services, and their potential role in the transmission of zoonotic diseases. [Display omitted] • The extent of bat hunting is underestimated worldwide. • Hunting increases the risk of bat extinction. • Large bats on islands and in the Paleotropics are at increased risk of hunting. • Habitat loss and modification exacerbate the risk of extinction of hunted species. • Low-income economies with high deforestation rates also show high hunting levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the discovery of animal coronaviruses related to SARS-CoV-2, the evolutionary origins of this virus are elusive. We describe a meta-transcriptomic study of 411 bat samples collected from a small geographical region in Yunnan province, China, between May 2019 and November 2020. We identified 24 full-length coronavirus genomes, including four novel SARS-CoV-2-related and three SARS-CoV-related viruses. Rhinolophus pusillus virus RpYN06 was the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2 in most of the genome, although it possessed a more divergent spike gene. The other three SARS-CoV-2-related coronaviruses carried a genetically distinct spike gene that could weakly bind to the hACE2 receptor in vitro. Ecological modeling predicted the co-existence of up to 23 Rhinolophus bat species, with the largest contiguous hotspots extending from South Laos and Vietnam to southern China. Our study highlights the remarkable diversity of bat coronaviruses at the local scale, including close relatives of both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. [Display omitted] • Four novel SARS-CoV-2-related viruses were identified in rhinolophid bats • RpYN06 is the closest relative of SARS-CoV-2 in most of the virus genome • A high diversity of bat coronaviruses was present in a very small geographic area • Ecological modeling reveals a broad range of rhinolophid bats in parts of Asia A study of 411 bat samples collected in Yunnan province, China between 2019 and 2020 yields 24 full-length coronavirus genomes, including four viruses highly related to SARS-CoV-2 and three to SARS. The closest relative to SARS-CoV-2 infects a species of bats that is found in regions that extend from South Laos and Vietnam to southern China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]