Publications

six reference-quality genomes reveal evolution of bat adaptations.	bats possess extraordinary adaptations, including flight, echolocation, extreme longevity and unique immunity. high-quality genomes are crucial for understanding the molecular basis and evolution of these traits. here we incorporated long-read sequencing and state-of-the-art scaffolding protocols1 to generate, to our knowledge, the first reference-quality genomes of six bat species (rhinolophus ferrumequinum, rousettus aegyptiacus, phyllostomus discolor, myotis myotis, pipistrellus kuhlii and mo ...	2020	32699395
telomere shortening correlates with harsh weather conditions in the bat species myotis myotis.	the relationship of telomere shortening and cellular ageing in cultured cells such as fibroblasts is straightforward: telomeres shorten with an increasing number of cell divisions until they trigger replicative senescence which prevents further mitotic cycles. but studies investigating the relationship between telomere shortening and ageing in whole organisms show contrasting results: while there is a clear decline in telomere length (tl) with chronological age in some species such as humans, no ...	2020	32745307
a culture-based id of micromycetes on the wing membranes of greater mouse-eared bats (myotis myotis) from the "nietoperek" site (poland).	bats play important functions in ecosystems and many of them are threatened with extinction. thus, the monitoring of the health status and prevention of diseases seem to be important aspects of welfare and conservation of these mammals. the main goal of the study was the identification of culturable fungal species colonizing the wing membranes of female greater mouse-eared bat (myotis myotis) during spring emergence from the "nietoperek" underground hibernation site by the use of genetic and phe ...	2020	32756314
viral metagenomic profiling of croatian bat population reveals sample and habitat dependent diversity.	to date, the microbiome, as well as the virome of the croatian populations of bats, was unknown. here, we present the results of the first viral metagenomic analysis of guano, feces and saliva (oral swabs) of seven bat species (myotis myotis, miniopterus schreibersii, rhinolophus ferrumequinum, eptesicus serotinus, myotis blythii, myotis nattereri and myotis emarginatus) conducted in mediterranean and continental croatia. viral nucleic acids were extracted from sample pools, and analyzed using i ...	2020	32824037
bat population recoveries give insight into clustering strategies during hibernation.	behaviour during hibernation contributes to energy conservation in winter. hibernating bats select roosts with respect to physiological and environmental stressors, available local microclimate and species-specific requirements.	2020	32884575
synergetic effects of immune challenge and stress depress cortisol, inflammatory response and antioxidant activity in fish-eating myotis.	one of the most common tools in conservation physiology is the assessment of environmental stress via glucocorticoid measurement. however, little is known of its relationship with other stress related biomarkers, and how the incidence of an immune challenge during a long-term stress could affect individuals overall stress response. we investigated here the relationship between basal and post-acute stress fecal cortisol metabolite (fc) with different antioxidant enzymes, oxidative damage, and imm ...	2020	33161382
timescale and colony-dependent relationships between environmental conditions and plasma oxidative markers in a long-lived bat species.	to increase the applicability and success of physiological approaches in conservation plans, conservation physiology should be based on ecologically relevant relationships between physiological markers and environmental variation that can only be obtained from wild populations. given their integrative and multifaceted aspects, markers of oxidative status have recently been considered in conservation physiology, but still need to be validated across environmental conditions and locations. here, w ...	2020	33173584
seroprevalence of toscana virus and sandfly fever sicilian virus in european bat colonies measured using a neutralization test.	toscana phlebovirus (tosv) and sicilian phlebovirus (sfsv) are endemic in the mediterranean area where they are transmitted to humans by infected sandflies. vertebrates of several species have been postulated to act as reservoirs of these viruses, but convincing evidence is still awaited. among them, bats have been suggested, however documented evidence is lacking. here we tested a total of 329 bats belonging to eight species collected from twelve localities in southern spain for the presence of ...	2021	33440618