In a BugBitten blog post, MondragonShem discusses a study that explores the effects of deforestation on the abundance and diversity of bats and the viruses they host.
Biologist removing bat from a mist netPhoto credit: Ann Froschauer/USFWSBats are the second largest order of mammals. Widely distributed, they serve important roles in the ecosystems they inhabit. Some are nocturnal pollinators, diving snout-first into flowers in search of nectar, while others feed from fruits, aiding their dispersal by releasing their seeds mid-flight on their way home. In some places, bats also help control insect populations.
In a recent study published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, Loh and her colleagues delved into the effects that deforestation has on the abundance and diversity of bats, and the viruses they host. The project was based at the Morro do Diabo State Park, a beautiful expanse of 338 km2 that contains the largest preserved area of Atlantic Forest in São Paulo . The researchers went into the forest to sample for bats and their viruses in five ‘intact’ vs.
In total, 18 bat species were recorded, from the Phyllostomidae, Molossidae, and Vespertilionidae families. These species feed from fruits, nectar, insects, blood . By combining information on both species richness and abundance, and accounting for sampling differences between the two types of ecosystem, the researchers found that ‘intact’ forested areas had a higher diversity of bats than deforested ones.
Generalist bats are more likely to survive in disturbed habitats, which increases numbers of those carrying zoonotic viruses. Although the authors did not measure disease risk in the study, they hypothesized that the communities living close to the forest edge and areas of deforestation would be more exposed to zoonotic pathogens in bat populations. Forest fragmentation has already been shown to increase the risk of other diseases like malaria and cutaneous leishmaniasis.
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