| comparative studies on the genetic, antigenic and pathogenic characteristics of bokeloh bat lyssavirus. | bokeloh bat lyssavirus (bblv), a novel lyssavirus, was isolated from a natterer's bat (myotis nattererii), a chiropteran species with a widespread and abundant distribution across europe. as a novel lyssavirus, the risks of bblv to animal and human health are unknown and as such characterization both in vitro and in vivo was required to assess pathogenicity and vaccine protection. full genome sequence analysis and antigenic cartography demonstrated that the german bblv isolates are most closely ... | 2014 | 24828330 |
| isolation of bokeloh bat lyssavirus in myotis nattereri in france. | bokeloh bat lyssavirus (bblv) was found in myotis nattereri for the first time in northeastern france in july 2012. the complete genome sequence of the virus from the infected natterer's bat was determined by whole-genome sequencing and compared to that of the first bblv strain isolated in 2010 in germany and with those of all currently identified lyssaviruses. the french isolate [kc169985] showed 98.7 % nucleotide sequence identity to the german bblv strain [jf311903]. several organs of the inf ... | 2013 | 23760600 |
| novel lyssavirus in natterer's bat, germany. | a virus isolated from a natterer's bat (myotis nattererii) in germany was differentiated from other lyssaviruses on the basis of the reaction pattern of a panel of monoclonal antibodies. phylogenetic analysis supported the assumption that the isolated virus, bokeloh bat lyssavirus, may represent a new member of the genus lyssavirus. | 2011 | 21801640 |
| stage of pregnancy dictates heterothermy in temperate forest-dwelling bats. | bats face high energetic requirements, as powered flight is costly and they have a disadvantageous surface-to-volume-ratio. to deal with those requirements energy saving mechanisms, such as heterothermy (torpor), have evolved. torpor during pregnancy, however, reduces rates of foetal development and consequently prolongs pregnancy. therefore, heterothermy has a great effect on reproduction, as an unhindered parturition can only be assured by high body temperatures. regardless of these adverse af ... | 2015 | 25526657 |
| second generation sequencing and morphological faecal analysis reveal unexpected foraging behaviour by myotis nattereri (chiroptera, vespertilionidae) in winter. | temperate winters produce extreme energetic challenges for small insectivorous mammals. some bat species inhabiting locations with mild temperate winters forage during brief inter-torpor normothermic periods of activity. however, the winter diet of bats in mild temperate locations is studied infrequently. although microscopic analyses of faeces have traditionally been used to characterise bat diet, recently the coupling of pcr with second generation sequencing has offered the potential to furthe ... | 2014 | 25093034 |
| heavy metals and metallothionein in vespertilionid bats foraging over aquatic habitats in the czech republic. | there has been growing interest in the study and conservation of bats throughout the world. declines in their absolute numbers in recent decades are due, in part, to the fact that insectivorous bats may bioaccumulate toxic pollutants. the purpose of the present study was to quantify heavy metal concentrations in kidney, liver, and pectoral muscle samples in relation to metallothionein (mt) levels. in total, 106 bats belonging to 11 european species (i.e., myotis myotis, myotis daubentonii, myoti ... | 2010 | 20821471 |
| heavy metal contamination in bats in britain. | toxic metals are bioaccumulated by insectivorous mammals but few studies (none from britain) have quantified residues in bats. we measured renal mercury (hg), lead (pb) and cadmium (cd) concentrations in bats from south-west england to determine how they varied with species, sex, age, and over time, and if they were likely to cause adverse effects. residues were generally highest in whiskered bats (myotis mystacinus). compared with other species, pipistrelle (pipistrellus spp) and natterer's bat ... | 2007 | 17257720 |
| european bat lyssavirus in scottish bats. | we report the first seroprevalence study of the occurrence of specific antibodies to european bat lyssavirus type 2 (eblv-2) in daubenton's bats. bats were captured from 19 sites across eastern and southern scotland. samples from 198 daubenton's bats, 20 natterer's bats, and 6 pipistrelle's bats were tested for eblv-2. blood samples (n = 94) were subjected to a modified fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test to determine antibody titer. from 0.05% to 3.8% (95% confidence interval) of dau ... | 2005 | 15829196 |
| european bat lyssavirus infection in spanish bat populations. | from 1992 to 2000, 976 sera, 27 blood pellets, and 91 brains were obtained from 14 bat species in 37 localities in spain. specific anti-european bat lyssavirus 1 (ebl1)-neutralizing antibodies have been detected in myotis myotis, miniopterus schreibersii, tadarida teniotis, and rhinolophus ferrumequinum in the region of aragon and the balearic islands. positive results were also obtained by nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction on brain, blood pellet, lung, heart, tongue, and es ... | 2002 | 11971777 |
| hematological data and hemoglobin components in bats (vespertilionidae). | 1. statistically significant variations were observed in the rbc counts and hb concentration in pregnant females of pipistrellus pipistrellus. 2. basic hematological values in 59 animals of five species of insectivorous bats were estimated. 3. electrophoretic separation of the hemoglobins of plecotus austriacus, myotis nattereri and myotis myotis showed two components, whereas in miniopterus schreibersi and pipistrellus pipistrellus appeared three and four components, respectively. | 1987 | 2892619 |
| host social organization and mating system shape parasite transmission opportunities in three european bat species. | for non-mobile parasites living on social hosts, infection dynamics are strongly influenced by host life history and social system. we explore the impact of host social systems on parasite population dynamics by comparing the infection intensity and transmission opportunities of three mite species of the genus spinturnix across their three european bat hosts (myotis daubentonii, myotis myotis, myotis nattereri) during the bats' autumn mating season. mites mainly reproduce in host maternity colon ... | 2017 | 27858154 |
| lyssavirus distribution in naturally infected bats from germany. | in germany, to date three different lyssavirus species are responsible for bat rabies in indigenous bats: the european bat lyssaviruses type 1 and 2 (eblv-1, eblv-2) and the bokeloh bat lyssavirus (bblv) for which eptesicus serotinus, myotis daubentonii and myotis nattereri, respectively, are primary hosts. lyssavirus maintenance, evolution, and epidemiology are still insufficiently explored. moreover, the small number of bats infected, the nocturnal habits of bats and the limited experimental d ... | 2014 | 24440375 |
| pseudogymnoascus destructans: evidence of virulent skin invasion for bats under natural conditions, europe. | while pseudogymnoascus destructans has been responsible for mass bat mortalities from white-nose syndrome (wns) in north america, its virulence in europe has been questioned. to shed the light on the issue of host-pathogen interaction between european bats and p. destructans, we examined seventeen bats emerging from the fungus-positive underground hibernacula in the czech republic during early spring 2013. dual wing-membrane biopsies were taken from barbastella barbastellus (1), myotis daubenton ... | 2015 | 25268034 |
| huddling reduces evaporative water loss in torpid natterer's bats, myotis nattereri. | periodic arousals during hibernation consume most of the winter energy budget for hibernating mammals. evaporative water loss (ewl) is thought to affect the frequency of arousals and thus energy balance, and might have dramatic implications for over-winter survival and fitness. we hypothesized that huddling affects ewl and energy expenditure in torpid mammals. we tested this hypothesis using bats as a model and predicted that, during torpor, ewl and energy expenditure of huddling individuals wou ... | 2015 | 25289993 |
| mitigating the impact of bats in historic churches: the response of natterer's bats myotis nattereri to artificial roosts and deterrence. | bats frequently roost in historic churches, and these colonies are of considerable conservation value. inside churches, bat droppings and urine can cause damage to the historic fabric of the building and to items of cultural significance. in extreme cases, large quantities of droppings can restrict the use of a church for worship and/or other community functions. in the united kingdom, bats and their roosts are protected by law, and striking a balance between conserving the natural and cultural ... | 2016 | 26771548 |
| correction: mitigating the impact of bats in historic churches: the response of natterer's bats myotis nattereri to artificial roosts and deterrence. | | 2016 | 27010317 |
| evidence for genetic variation in natterer's bats (myotis nattereri) across three regions in germany but no evidence for co-variation with their associated astroviruses. | as bats have recently been described to harbor many different viruses, several studies have investigated the genetic co-variation between viruses and different bat species. however, little is known about the genetic co-variation of viruses and different populations of the same bat species, although such information is needed for an understanding of virus transmission dynamics within a given host species. we hypothesized that if virus transmission between host populations depends on events linked ... | 2017 | 28056776 |
| integrated operational taxonomic units (iotus) in echolocating bats: a bridge between molecular and traditional taxonomy. | nowadays, molecular techniques are widespread tools for the identification of biological entities. however, until very few years ago, their application to taxonomy provoked intense debates between traditional and molecular taxonomists. to prevent every kind of disagreement, it is essential to standardize taxonomic definitions. along these lines, we introduced the concept of integrated operational taxonomic unit (iotu). iotus come from the concept of operational taxonomic unit (otu) and parallele ... | 2012 | 22761951 |
| sympatric woodland myotis bats form tight-knit social groups with exclusive roost home ranges. | the structuring of wild animal populations can influence population dynamics, disease spread, and information transfer. social network analysis potentially offers insights into these processes but is rarely, if ever, used to investigate more than one species in a community. we therefore compared the social, temporal and spatial networks of sympatric myotis bats (m. nattereri (natterer's bats) and m. daubentonii (daubenton's bats)), and asked: (1) are there long-lasting social associations within ... | 2014 | 25356770 |
| the effects of reproductive state on digestive efficiency in three sympatric bat species of the same guild. | the functional link between food as an energy source and metabolizable energy is the digestive tract. the digestive organs may change in size, structure, or retention time in response to energetic demands of the animal. very efficient digestive tracts may be better at processing food but require higher energetic investments for maintenance even when post-absorptive. these costs influence the resting metabolic rate (rmr) that is defined as the energy necessary to fuel vital metabolic functions in ... | 2012 | 22561664 |
| insectivorous bats digest chitin in the stomach using acidic mammalian chitinase. | the gastrointestinal tract of animals is adapted to their primary source of food to optimize resource use and energy intake. temperate bat species mainly feed on arthropods. these contain the energy-rich carbohydrate chitin, which is indigestible for the endogenous enzymes of a typical mammalian gastrointestinal tract. however, the gastrointestinal tract of bat species should be adapted to their diet and be able to digest chitin. we hypothesized that (i) european vespertilionid bat species have ... | 2013 | 24019876 |
| associative memory or algorithmic search: a comparative study on learning strategies of bats and shrews. | two common strategies for successful foraging are learning to associate specific sensory cues with patches of prey ("associative learning") and using set decision-making rules to systematically scan for prey ("algorithmic search"). we investigated whether an animal's life history affects which of these two foraging strategies it is likely to use. natterer's bats (myotis nattereri) have slow life-history traits and we predicted they would be more likely to use associative learning. common shrews ... | 2012 | 22391618 |
| insectivorous bats carry host specific astroviruses and coronaviruses across different regions in germany. | recently several infectious agents with a zoonotic potential have been detected in different bat species. however, there is still a lack of knowledge on the transmission dynamics within and between bat species, as well as from bats to other mammals. to better understand these processes, it is important to compare the phylogenetic relationships between different agents to that of their respective hosts. in this study, we analysed more than 950 urine, faeces and oral swab samples collected from 65 ... | 2016 | 26584511 |
| alphacoronavirus detected in bats in the united kingdom. | this study presents the first record of coronavirus in british bats. alphacoronavirus strains were detected in two of seven bat species, namely myotis nattereri and m. daubentonii. virus prevalence was particularly high in the previously unrecognized host m. nattereri, which can live in close proximity to humans. | 2012 | 22276674 |
| molecular diagnostics for the detection of bokeloh bat lyssavirus in a bat from bavaria, germany. | a brain sample of a natterer's bat tested positive for rabies with classical virological techniques. molecular techniques confirmed the presence of bokeloh bat lyssavirus (bblv) in germany for the second time. sequence analysis revealed a close genetic relationship to the initial german bblv case. using a taqman rt-pcr specific for bblv viral rna was detected in various other organs albeit with differences in the relative viral load. | 2013 | 23932899 |
| warming up for dinner: torpor and arousal in hibernating natterer's bats (myotis nattereri) studied by radio telemetry. | the frequency and function of arousals during hibernation in free-living mammals are little known. we used temperature-sensitive radio transmitters to measure patterns of torpor, arousal and activity in wild natterer's bats myotis nattereri during hibernation. duration of torpor bouts ranged from 0.06 to 20.4 days with individual means ranging from 0.9 to 8.9 days. arousals from torpor occurred most commonly coincident with the time (relative to sunset) typical for bats emerging from summer roos ... | 2012 | 22124860 |
| bat rabies in france: a 24-year retrospective epidemiological study. | since bat rabies surveillance was first implemented in france in 1989, 48 autochthonous rabies cases without human contamination have been reported using routine diagnosis methods. in this retrospective study, data on bats submitted for rabies testing were analysed in order to better understand the epidemiology of eblv-1 in bats in france and to investigate some epidemiological trends. of the 3176 bats submitted for rabies diagnosis from 1989 to 2013, 1.96% (48/2447 analysed) were diagnosed posi ... | 2014 | 24892287 |
| bat rabies surveillance in europe. | rabies is the oldest known zoonotic disease and was also the first recognized bat associated infection in humans. to date, four different lyssavirus species are the causative agents of rabies in european bats: the european bat lyssaviruses type 1 and 2 (eblv-1, eblv-2), the recently discovered putative new lyssavirus species bokeloh bat lyssavirus (bblv) and the west caucasian bat virus (wcbv). unlike in the new world, bat rabies cases in europe are comparatively less frequent, possibly as a res ... | 2013 | 22963584 |
| multilocus phylogeny and species delimitation within the natterer's bat species complex in the western palearctic. | delimiting species is a crucial issue for many biological disciplines and is of primary importance for designing effective conservation plans. traditional taxonomy based on morphological characters can be misled by the presence of phenotypic plesiomorphism or adaptative convergence. the use of multiple locus genetic data appears thus as a powerful tool for recognizing species boundaries. in this study, we used six nuclear introns and two mitochondrial markers to conduct a phylogenetic study of t ... | 2011 | 21872668 |
| aerial hawking and landing: approach behaviour in natterer's bats, myotis nattereri (kuhl 1818). | we compared the flight and echolocation behaviour of a vespertilionid bat (myotis nattereri) approaching a large stationary or a small moving target. bats were trained to either land on a landing grid or to catch a moving tethered mealworm. when closing in on these two targets, the bats emitted groups of sounds with increasing number of signals and decreasing pulse interval and duration. when pursuing the mealworm, the approach phase always ended with a terminal group consisting of buzz i and bu ... | 2007 | 18055634 |
| genetic population structure of natterer's bats explained by mating at swarming sites and philopatry. | during autumn 'swarming', large numbers of temperate bats chase each other in and around underground sites. swarming has been proposed to be a mating event, allowing interbreeding between bats from otherwise isolated summer colonies. we studied the population structure of the natterer's bat (myotis nattereri), a swarming species in northern england, by sampling bats at seven sites in two swarming areas and at 11 summer colonies. analysis of molecular variance (amova) and genetic assignment analy ... | 2005 | 16313594 |
| moth hearing in response to bat echolocation calls manipulated independently in time and frequency. | we measured the auditory responses of the noctuid moth noctua pronuba to bat echolocation calls which were manipulated independently in time and frequency. such manipulations are important in understanding how insect hearing influences the evolution of echolocation call characteristics. we manipulated the calls of three bat species (rhinolophus hipposideros, myotis nattereri and pipistrellus pipistrellus) that use different echolocation call features by doubling their duration or reducing their ... | 2000 | 11467425 |
| [activity studies fith vespertilionid bats (myotis nattereri, kuhl 1818)]. | | 1968 | 5697756 |
| bats eavesdrop on the sound of copulating flies. | the idea that copulation might increase predation risk is a classic suggestion, but empirical evidence to support it is surprisingly scarce. while some early work found decreased vulnerability to predation during mating, two lab and one very recent field study documented increased predation during mating in freshwater amphipods, water striders and locusts. decreased vigilance, less efficient escape responses, and increased conspicuousness of mating pairs have been suggested as mechanisms that mi ... | 2012 | 22835788 |
| niche-specific cognitive strategies: object memory interferes with spatial memory in the predatory bat myotis nattereri. | related species with different diets are predicted to rely on different cognitive strategies: those best suited for locating available and appropriate foods. here we tested two predictions of the niche-specific cognitive strategies hypothesis in bats, which suggests that predatory species should rely more on object memory than on spatial memory for finding food and that the opposite is true of frugivorous and nectivorous species. specifically, we predicted that: (1) predatory bats would readily ... | 2014 | 25013105 |
| evaporative water loss is a plausible explanation for mortality of bats from white-nose syndrome. | white-nose syndrome (wns) has caused alarming declines of north american bat populations in the 5 years since its discovery. affected bats appear to starve during hibernation, possibly because of disruption of normal cycles of torpor and arousal. the importance of hydration state and evaporative water loss (ewl) for influencing the duration of torpor bouts in hibernating mammals recently led to "the dehydration hypothesis," that cutaneous infection of the wing membranes of bats with the fungus g ... | 2011 | 21742778 |
| social calls of myotis nattereri during swarming: call structure mirrors the different behavioral context. | swarming is a characteristic behavior of bats that occurs in different social contexts. we studied the swarming behavior of myotis nattereri at a maternity colony and at an autumn swarming site in south-west germany by using synchronized sound and video recordings. swarming was always associated with social vocalizations consisting of four frequently occurring call types. call type a was a short call with a broadband steep-shallow-steep downward frequency modulation. call type b consisted of two ... | 2019 | 31490957 |
| bokeloh bat lyssavirus isolation in a natterer's bat, poland. | in recent years, bokeloh bat lyssavirus (bblv), a member of the novel lyssavirus genus bokeloh bat lyssavirus in the family rhabdoviridae, has been detected in germany (five cases) and france (two cases). here, we report the isolation of bblv in a natterer's bat (myotis nattereri) in poland. the bat brain tested positive for rabies using classical diagnostics tests (fat and rtcit) and then subsequently confirmed by molecular techniques. viral rna was found in all peripheral organs tested, and th ... | 2018 | 30198169 |
| corrigendum to "multilocus phylogeny and species delimitation within the natterer's bat species complex in the western palearctic" [molecular phylogenetics and evolution 61 (2011) 888-898]. | | 2018 | 29482873 |
| differences in seasonal survival suggest species-specific reactions to climate change in two sympatric bat species. | long-lived animals with a low annual reproductive output need a long time to recover from population crashes and are, thus, likely to face high extinction risk, if the current global environmental change will increase mortality rates. to aid conservation of those species, knowledge on the variability of mortality rates is essential. unfortunately, however, individual-based multiyear data sets that are required for that have only rarely been collected for free-ranging long-lived mammals. here, we ... | 2019 | 31380063 |
| live fast, don't die young: survival-reproduction trade-offs in long-lived income breeders. | trade-offs between survival and reproduction are at the core of life-history theory, and essential to understanding the evolution of reproductive tactics as well as population dynamics and stability. factors influencing these trade-offs are multiple and often addressed in isolation. further problems arise as reproductive states and survival in wild populations are estimated based on imperfect and potentially biased observation processes, which might lead to flawed conclusions. in this study, we ... | 2019 | 30737781 |
| spring weather conditions influence breeding phenology and reproductive success in sympatric bat populations. | climate is known to influence breeding phenology and reproductive success in temperate-zone bats, but long-term population level studies and interspecific comparisons are rare. investigating the extent to which intrinsic (i.e. age), and extrinsic (i.e. spring weather conditions), factors influence such key demographic parameters as the proportion of females becoming pregnant, or completing lactation, each breeding season, is vital to understanding of bat population ecology and life-history trait ... | 2018 | 29635800 |
| 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 |
| frequent or scarce? damage to flight-enabling body parts in bats (chiroptera). | bat wings are characterized by high endurance, and these mammals have developed a number of adaptations that protect them from falling into obstacles and potential injuries. however, in bat populations, there are individuals with visible fresh or healed injuries to the flight-enabling body parts. the aim of this research was to determine the differences in the occurrence of wing membrane damages among species of bats that differ in ecology and behavior. the study was conducted in southern and we ... | 2019 | 31329631 |
| estimating population density of insectivorous bats based on stationary acoustic detectors: a case study. | automated recording units are commonly used by consultants to assess environmental impacts and to monitor animal populations. although estimating population density of bats using stationary acoustic detectors is key for evaluating environmental impacts, estimating densities from call activity data is only possible through recently developed numerical methods, as the recognition of calling individuals is impossible.we tested the applicability of generalized random encounter models (grems) for det ... | 2020 | 32076503 |
| similar but not the same: metal concentrations in hair of three ecologically similar, forest-dwelling bat species (myotis bechsteinii, myotis nattereri, and plecotus auritus). | recently, a number of studies demonstrated the suitability of hair analysis to assess metal exposure of bats. as many bat species are endangered, such a non-destructive method is particularly suited for this taxon. the present study analyzed the levels of two non-essential (cadmium and lead) and four essential metals (copper, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc) in hairs of three ecologically similar, sympatric bat species, bechstein's bat (myotis bechsteinii), natterer's bat (myotis nattereri), and ... | 2018 | 29214475 |
| penis size and sperm quality, are all bats grey in the dark? | penises play a key role in sperm transport and in stimulating female genitals. this should impact post-copulatory competition, and expose penis characteristics to sexual selective pressures. studies of male genitalia have repeatedly reported negative static allometries, which mean that, within species, large males have disproportionally small genitals when compared with smaller individuals. males of some sperm-storing bat species may stand as an exception to such a pattern by arousing from hiber ... | 2019 | 31857816 |
| coronavirus and paramyxovirus in bats from northwest italy. | bat-borne virus surveillance is necessary for determining inter-species transmission risks and is important due to the wide-range of bat species which may harbour potential pathogens. this study aimed to monitor coronaviruses (covs) and paramyxoviruses (pmvs) in bats roosting in northwest italian regions. our investigation was focused on covs and pmvs due to their proven ability to switch host and their zoonotic potential. here we provide the phylogenetic characterization of the highly conserved ... | 2017 | 29273042 |
| the recently discovered bokeloh bat lyssavirus: insights into its genetic heterogeneity and spatial distribution in europe and the population genetics of its primary host. | in 2010, a novel lyssavirus named bokeloh bat lyssavirus (bblv) was isolated from a natterer's bat (myotis nattereri) in germany. two further viruses were isolated in the same country and in france in recent years, all from the same bat species and all found in moribund or dead bats. here we report the description and the full-length genome sequence of five additional bblv isolates from germany (n=4) and france (n=1). interestingly, all of them were isolated from the natterer's bat, except one f ... | 2017 | 29029727 |