Journal ArticleDOI
Ecosystem services provided by bats
Thomas H. Kunz,Elizabeth Braun de Torrez,Dana Marie Bauer,Tatyana A. Lobova,Theodore H. Fleming +4 more
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TLDR
Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.Abstract:
Ecosystem services are the benefits obtained from the environment that increase human well-being. Economic valuation is conducted by measuring the human welfare gains or losses that result from changes in the provision of ecosystem services. Bats have long been postulated to play important roles in arthropod suppression, seed dispersal, and pollination; however, only recently have these ecosystem services begun to be thoroughly evaluated. Here, we review the available literature on the ecological and economic impact of ecosystem services provided by bats. We describe dietary preferences, foraging behaviors, adaptations, and phylogenetic histories of insectivorous, frugivorous, and nectarivorous bats worldwide in the context of their respective ecosystem services. For each trophic ensemble, we discuss the consequences of these ecological interactions on both natural and agricultural systems. Throughout this review, we highlight the research needed to fully determine the ecosystem services in question. Finally, we provide a comprehensive overview of economic valuation of ecosystem services. Unfortunately, few studies estimating the economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats have been conducted to date; however, we outline a framework that could be used in future studies to more fully address this question. Consumptive goods provided by bats, such as food and guano, are often exchanged in markets where the market price indicates an economic value. Nonmarket valuation methods can be used to estimate the economic value of nonconsumptive services, including inputs to agricultural production and recreational activities. Information on the ecological and economic value of ecosystem services provided by bats can be used to inform decisions regarding where and when to protect or restore bat populations and associated habitats, as well as to improve public perception of bats.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Bat activity patterns relative to temporal and weather effects in a temperate coastal environment
TL;DR: In this article, the authors assessed nightly and hourly activity patterns for eight species of bats over 21 consecutive months at Fire Island National Seashore, New York, and found mean hourly temperature, time since sunset, day of year, and year to be the most important predictors of bat activity levels.
Journal ArticleDOI
Human Interactions with Bat Populations in Bombali, Sierra Leone.
Jason Euren,James Bangura,Aiah Gbakima,Marilyn Sinah,Sylvester Yonda,Christian E. Lange,David J McIver,Matthew LeBreton,David J. Wolking,Corina Monagin,Brian H. Bird,Karen Saylors +11 more
TL;DR: This study explores two sites in Bombali, Sierra Leone, where human populations have had close contact with microchiropteran bats via household infestations and fruit bats by hunting practices and identifies the knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, and behaviors that may potentially protect or expose individuals to zoonotic spillover through direct and indirect contact with bats.
Journal ArticleDOI
Managing coniferous production forests towards bat conservation
Maria João Ramos Pereira,Maria João Ramos Pereira,Filipa Peste,Anabela Paula,Pedro Pereira,Joana Bernardino,José Vieira,Carlos A. C. Bastos,Miguel Mascarenhas,Hugo Costa,Carlos Fonseca +10 more
TL;DR: Coniferous production forests are of great importance for bats during the mating/swarming/dispersion season and two straightforward management actions should be implemented to increase their value for bat assemblages: the maintenance of old coniferous stands, and the cutting of dry branches at the subcanopy level.
Journal ArticleDOI
An Appraisal of Bird-Mediated Ecological Functions in a Changing World
TL;DR: A scientific literature review to understand the general trends on the ecosystem functions executed by birds and the possible effects of environmental disturbances on them and showed that the ecological function of birds can arise from a cascade effect on other trophic levels, though this may depend on the environmental characteristics.
Journal ArticleDOI
The temporal RNA virome patterns of a lesser dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea) colony revealed by deep sequencing.
Adrian C. Paskey,Adrian C. Paskey,Adrian C. Paskey,Justin H. J. Ng,Gregory K. Rice,Gregory K. Rice,Wan Ni Chia,Casandra W. Philipson,Casandra W. Philipson,Randy Foo,Regina Z. Cer,Regina Z. Cer,Kyle A. Long,Kyle A. Long,Matthew R. Lueder,Matthew R. Lueder,Kenneth G. Frey,Theron Hamilton,Ian H. Mendenhall,Gavin J. D. Smith,Lin-Fa Wang,Kimberly A. Bishop-Lilly,Kimberly A. Bishop-Lilly +22 more
TL;DR: This is the first study that combines probe-based viral enrichment with HTS to create a viral profile from multiple swab sites on individual bats and their cohort, and demonstrates temporal patterns of the lesser dawn bat virome, including several novel viruses.
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