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Human dimensions of bat conservation – 10 recommendations to improve and diversify studies of human-bat interactions
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Abstract The common vampire bat ( Desmodus rotundus ) is a sanguivorous (i.e., blood-eating) bat species distributed in the Americas from northern Mexico southwards to central Chile and Argentina. Desmodus rotundus is one of only three mammal species known to feed exclusively on blood, mainly from domestic mammals, although large wildlife and occasionally humans can also serve as a food source. Blood feeding makes D. rotundus an effective transmissor of pathogens to its prey. Consequently, this species is a common target of culling efforts by various individuals and organizations. Nevertheless, little is known about the historical distribution of D. rotundus . Detailed occurrence data are critical for the accurate assessment of past and current distributions of D. rotundus as part of ecological, biogeographical, and epidemiological research. This article presents a dataset of D. rotundus historical occurrence reports, including >39,000 locality reports across the Americas to facilitate the development of spatiotemporal studies of the species. Data are available at 10.6084/m9.figshare.15025296 .more » « less
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Bats host a number of pathogens that cause severe disease and onward transmission in humans and domestic animals. Some of these pathogens, including henipaviruses and filoviruses, are considered a concern for future pandemics. There has been substantial effort to identify these viruses in bats. However, the reservoir hosts for Ebola virus are still unknown and henipaviruses are largely uncharacterized across their distribution. Identifying reservoir species is critical in understanding the viral ecology within these hosts and the conditions that lead to spillover. We collated surveillance data to identify taxonomic patterns in prevalence and seroprevalence and to assess sampling efforts across species. We systematically collected data on filovirus and henipavirus detections and used a machine-learning algorithm, phylofactorization, in order to search the bat phylogeny for cladistic patterns in filovirus and henipavirus infection, accounting for sampling efforts. Across sampled bat species, evidence for filovirus infection was widely dispersed across the sampled phylogeny. We found major gaps in filovirus sampling in bats, especially in Western Hemisphere species. Evidence for henipavirus infection was clustered within the Pteropodidae; however, no other clades have been as intensely sampled. The major predictor of filovirus and henipavirus exposure or infection was sampling effort. Based on these results, we recommend expanding surveillance for these pathogens across the bat phylogenetic tree.more » « less
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- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2021.109304
