WHITE-NOSE SYNDROME-AFFECTED LITTLE BROWN MYOTIS (MYOTIS LUCIFUGUS) INCREASE GROOMING AND OTHER ACTIVE BEHAVIORS DURING AROUSALS FROM HIBERNATION

Abstract White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging infectious disease of hibernating bats linked to the death of an estimated 5.7 million or more bats in the northeastern United States and Canada. White-nose syndrome is caused by the cold-loving fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd), which invades the skin of the muzzles, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. Previous work has shown that WNS-affected bats arouse to euthermic or near euthermic temperatures during hibernation significantly more frequently than normal and that these too-frequent arousals are tied to severity of infection and death date. We quantified the behavior of bats during these arousal bouts to understand better the causes and consequences of these arousals. We hypothesized that WNS-affected bats would display increased levels of activity (especially grooming) during their arousal bouts from hibernation compared to WNS-unaffected bats. Behavior of both affected and unaffected hibernating bats in captivity was monitored from December 2010 to March 2011 using temperature-sensitive dataloggers attached to the backs of bats and infrared motion-sensitive cameras. The WNS-affected bats exhibited significantly higher rates of grooming, relative to unaffected bats, at the expense of time that would otherwise be spent inactive. Increased self-grooming may be related to the presence of the fungus. Elevated activity levels in affected bats likely increase energetic stress, whereas the loss of rest (inactive periods when aroused from torpor) may jeopardize the ability of a bat to reestablish homeostasis in a number of physiologic systems.

[1]  D. Reeder,et al.  Electrolyte Depletion in White-nose Syndrome Bats , 2013, Journal of wildlife diseases.

[2]  D. Lindner,et al.  Phylogenetic evaluation of Geomyces and allies reveals no close relatives of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, comb. nov., in bat hibernacula of eastern North America. , 2013, Fungal biology.

[3]  J. Boyles,et al.  Temperature-Dependent Growth of Geomyces destructans, the Fungus That Causes Bat White-Nose Syndrome , 2012, PloS one.

[4]  Laura E. Grieneisen,et al.  Frequent Arousal from Hibernation Linked to Severity of Infection and Mortality in Bats with White-Nose Syndrome , 2012, PloS one.

[5]  C. Willis,et al.  Hibernation energetics of free-ranging little brown bats , 2012, Journal of Experimental Biology.

[6]  V. Misra,et al.  Inoculation of bats with European Geomyces destructans supports the novel pathogen hypothesis for the origin of white-nose syndrome , 2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[7]  C. P. Garrity,et al.  Geographical and geological data from caves and mines infected with white-nose syndrome (WNS) before September 2009 in the eastern United States , 2011 .

[8]  D. Reeder,et al.  Experimental infection of bats with Geomyces destructans causes white-nose syndrome , 2011, Nature.

[9]  D. Reeder,et al.  A Five-year Assessment of Mortality and Geographic Spread of White-Nose Syndrome in North American Bats, with a Look at the Future. Update of White-Nose Syndrome in Bats. , 2011 .

[10]  T. Kunz,et al.  An Emerging Disease Causes Regional Population Collapse of a Common North American Bat Species , 2010, Science.

[11]  A. Gargas,et al.  Histopathologic Criteria to Confirm White-nose Syndrome in Bats , 2009, Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc.

[12]  J. Whitaker,et al.  Activity following arousal in winter in North American vespertilionid bats , 2006 .

[13]  P. Hudson,et al.  Hibernation patterns in mammals: a role for bacterial growth? , 2006 .

[14]  Sandra L Martin,et al.  Mammalian hibernation: cellular and molecular responses to depressed metabolism and low temperature. , 2003, Physiological reviews.

[15]  J. Speakman,et al.  Climate-mediated energetic constraints on the distribution of hibernating mammals , 2002, Nature.

[16]  Serge Daan,et al.  Warming up for sleep? — Ground squirrels sleep during arousals from hibernation , 1991, Neuroscience Letters.

[17]  H. Heller,et al.  Are ground squirrels sleep deprived during hibernation? , 1991, The American journal of physiology.

[18]  J. Bergeron,et al.  Winter Energy Budgets and Cost of Arousals for Hibernating Little Brown Bats, Myotis lucifugus , 1990 .

[19]  G. McCracken,et al.  Behavioural response of the Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis mexicana, to visible and infra-red light , 1990, Animal Behaviour.

[20]  B. Hart.  Biological basis of the behavior of sick animals , 1988, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews.

[21]  Mike Hansell,et al.  Measuring Behaviour: An Introductory Guide, Paul Martin, Patrick Bateson. University of Cambridge Press, Cambridge (1986), x, +200. Price £20.00 (hardback), £6.95 (paperback) , 1987 .

[22]  P. August,et al.  Time and Energy Budgets for Dayroosting in a Maternity Colony of Myotis lucifugus , 1981 .

[23]  K. Roth,et al.  Stress induced grooming in the rat — An endorphin mediated syndrome , 1979, Neuroscience Letters.