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--Apple-Mail-24--186232023 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; delsp=yes; format=flowed THANKS FOR WEIGHING IN, HUGH! from Jim & all concerned naturalists et =20= al. Begin forwarded message: > From: Hugh Broders <Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA> > Date: July 4, 2013 4:38:43 PM ADT > To: "James W. Wolford" <jimwolford@eastlink.ca>, Nature BNS =20 > <nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca> > Cc: Mark F Elderkin <elderkmf@gov.ns.ca>, Andrew Hebda =20 > <HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca>, Fred Scott <fwscott@eastlink.ca>, Donald =20 > McAlpine <Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca> > Subject: RE: re bats endangered -- good for other insectivores?? > > Hi Jim, > Fortunately we have not lived in a time when there were no bats to =20 > know for sure but I would feel pretty confident that we will not =20 > notice much of a difference in mosquito numbers. I've been around =20 > maternity roosts where there were hundreds of bats and got "eaten =20 > alive". There is no doubt they eat mosquitos, but along with =20 > numerous other insects. A paper we have under review now have =20 > identified, conservatively, about 100 species in their diet. There =20= > will undoubtedly be changes in insect populations but my guess is =20 > that these will be subtle and we might not detect them in most =20 > situations. There is data in support of the huge ecological =20 > services that can provide, at least in some places. However, I =20 > would be hesitant to suggest that it will be more difficult to be =20 > outside now due to the increased number of mosquitos because there =20 > are no bats. > > The fungus that causes WNS has been found in Europe with no known =20 > mortality associated with it. It is likely that the Eurpopean bat =20 > species (which are all different from the North American species), =20 > are adapted to its presence hence it does not affect them (... =20 > presumably (and hopefully) a result of natural selection from many =20 > many generations ago, before there were bat biologists). North =20 > American bats are na=EFve hosts. Hopefully some of our bats have a =20= > genetic predisposition to survive it and repopulate....it is too =20 > early to tell. Regardless, given their really low reproductive =20 > rate it will take a long time to get back to pre-WNS numbers if =20 > they can rebound. > > Hope this is helpful > Hugh > -----Original Message----- > From: James W. Wolford [mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca] > Sent: July-04-13 4:01 PM > To: Nature BNS > Cc: Hugh Broders; Mark F Elderkin; Andrew Hebda; Fred Scott; Donald =20= > McAlpine > Subject: re bats endangered -- good for other insectivores?? > > Today on CBC Radio News, Andrew Hebda said it might not be long =20 > before our little brown bat is extinct, considering the precipitous =20= > decline over the past two winters in the hibernacula. Thus Andrew =20 > was predicting that, without their night-time enemies, mosquitoes =20 > are liable to get much more abundant and troublesome for us than =20 > usual. > > But I wonder if this general insect abundance might actually help =20 > our troubled aerial insectivores a bit (swifts, swallows, =20 > nighthawks, flycatchers, others?)? > > Hugh or Mark or Andrew or Fred or Don, Mark's great article in =20 > Saturday's NovaScotian section (Herald) left out any information on =20= > the history of the fungus (Geomyces destructans) and the bat =20 > populations in Europe. Is much known about how the bats fared then =20= > and, if they declined hugely like ours, how long it took them to =20 > creep back into present abundance. I think I have heard or read =20 > that the same fungus now doesn't seem to be affecting the bats much =20= > or at all in the Old World. > > Cheers from Jim in Wolfville. --Apple-Mail-24--186232023 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <html><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; = -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "> THANKS FOR WEIGHING IN, HUGH! from Jim & all concerned naturalists = et al.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type=3D"cite"><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>From: = </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">Hugh Broders <<a = href=3D"mailto:Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA">Hugh.Broders@SMU.CA</a>></font></di= v><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>Date: = </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px = Helvetica">July 4, 2013 4:38:43 PM ADT</font></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: #000000"><b>To: </b></font><font = face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">"James W. = Wolford" <<a = href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>>, = Nature BNS <<a = href=3D"mailto:nature@blomidonnaturalists.ca">nature@blomidonnaturalists.c= a</a>></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Cc: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica">Mark F Elderkin <<a = href=3D"mailto:elderkmf@gov.ns.ca">elderkmf@gov.ns.ca</a>>, Andrew = Hebda <HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca>, = Fred Scott <<a = href=3D"mailto:fwscott@eastlink.ca">fwscott@eastlink.ca</a>>, Donald = McAlpine <<a = href=3D"mailto:Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca">Donald.McAlpine@nbm-mnb.ca</a>&= gt;</font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face=3D"Helvetica" = size=3D"3" color=3D"#000000" style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica; color: = #000000"><b>Subject: </b></font><font face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" = style=3D"font: 12.0px Helvetica"><b>RE: re bats endangered -- good for = other insectivores??</b></font></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div> <div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Hi Jim,</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Fortunately we have not lived in a time when there = were no bats to know for sure but I would feel pretty confident that we = will not notice much of a difference in mosquito numbers.<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>I've been around maternity = roosts where there were hundreds of bats and got "eaten alive".<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>There is no doubt they eat = mosquitos, but along with numerous other insects.<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>A paper we have under = review now have identified, conservatively, about 100 species in their = diet.<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>There will = undoubtedly be changes in insect populations but my guess is that these = will be subtle and we might not detect them in most situations.<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>There is data in support = of the huge ecological services that can provide, at least in some = places.<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>However, I = would be hesitant to suggest that it will be more difficult to be = outside now due to the increased number of mosquitos because there are = no bats.<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> = </span></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">The fungus that causes WNS has been found in Europe = with no known mortality associated with it.<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>It is likely that the = Eurpopean bat species (which are all different from the North American = species), are adapted to its presence hence it does not affect them (... = presumably (and hopefully) a result of natural selection from many many = generations ago, before there were bat biologists).<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>North American bats are = na=EFve hosts.<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> = </span>Hopefully some of our bats have a genetic predisposition to = survive it and repopulate....it is too early to tell.<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>Regardless, given their = really low reproductive rate it will take a long time to get back to = pre-WNS numbers if they can rebound.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Hope this is helpful</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Hugh</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">-----Original = Message-----</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">From: James W. Wolford [<a = href=3D"mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca">mailto:jimwolford@eastlink.ca</a>]<= span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">Sent: July-04-13 4:01 PM</div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">To: Nature BNS</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Cc: Hugh = Broders; Mark F Elderkin; Andrew Hebda; Fred Scott; Donald = McAlpine</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Subject: re bats endangered -- = good for other insectivores??</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Today on CBC Radio News, Andrew = Hebda said it might not be long before our little brown bat is extinct, = considering the precipitous decline over the past two winters in the = hibernacula.<span class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>Thus = Andrew was predicting that, without their night-time enemies, mosquitoes = are liable to get much more abundant and troublesome for us than = usual.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><br></div><div = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">But I wonder if this general insect abundance might = actually help our troubled aerial insectivores a bit (swifts, swallows, = nighthawks, flycatchers, others?)?</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Hugh or Mark or Andrew or Fred = or Don, Mark's great article in Saturday's NovaScotian section (Herald) = left out any information on the history of the fungus (Geomyces = destructans) and the bat populations in Europe.<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>Is much known about how = the bats fared then and, if they declined hugely like ours, how long it = took them to creep back into present abundance.<span = class=3D"Apple-converted-space"> </span>I think I have heard or = read that the same fungus now doesn't seem to be affecting the bats much = or at all in the Old World.</div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; = margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: = 14px; "><br></div><div style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Cheers from Jim in = Wolfville.</div> </blockquote></div><br></body></html>= --Apple-Mail-24--186232023--
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