commercialization of caves. “A door installed on a cave changes air flow and makes


the environment too warm for bats,” Kurta says. “They need a temperature of about 40 to 45 degrees for hibernation.” The Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat also suffer from


white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed more than a million bats since 2006. “It’s the most devastating wildlife disease to hit North America


photo courtesy of University of Illinois/Steve Taylor


White fright. White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease, threatens two Michigan bat species.


Eastern’s “Batman”


The next time you have a margarita, thank a bat. Bats pollinate the agave tequilana, a plant used to make tequila


that’s grown in Mexico and the southwestern U.S. Bats become dusted with pollen as they feed on the plant’s nectar, then transfer the pollen between plants as they feed and migrate. “Bats have an important economic impact on farming—not


just in tropical areas, but also across the continent,” says EMU Professor of Biology Allen Kurta, whose research is focused on the world’s only flying mammal. “Most North American bats are tremendous insect eaters. A bat mothering its young can take in about 129 percent of its body weight in insects in a single night. Bats help reduce insect damage to crops and the amount of pesticides farmers apply to their fields. Bats also help regenerate forests by dispersing seeds.” Bats have gotten a bad rap over the years, mainly due to a


certain guy in Transylvania (“I vant to bite your neeeeck”). But Kurta says we should ignore those stereotypes and embrace the bat’s unique biodiversity. “Bats are neat creatures with many unique adaptations, like


echolocating,” he says. “They also deliver the largest babies of all mammals. A newborn has about 25 percent of its mother’s weight. Imagine a human delivering a 30-pound baby.” Although we often see bats flying over our yards at dusk, munching happily on mosquitos and other insects, two types of bats are on the federal list of endangered Michigan species: the Indiana bat and northern long-eared bat. “Part of my research focuses on the habitat and dietary


requirements of these bats,” Kurta says. “My students and I monitor tagged bats to find where they roost and hibernate. Our data provides good bat management information to the Department of Natural Resources and the Fish and Wildlife Service.” Indiana bats hibernate in large numbers in a few caves


in Indiana and Kentucky, but their numbers are threatened by human disturbance, including pesticides and the


since the arrival of Europeans,” Kurta says. “The fungus grows on the face and skin of the bats during hibernation. The syndrome has spread across 27 states and it arrived in Michigan in spring 2014. There is no cure, and the disease is threatening to make the Indiana and northern long-eared bat extinct.” During the bat hibernation period, Kurta and some of his


graduate students visit abandoned iron mines in the western Upper Peninsula to monitor air temperatures and humidity, track the bat population, measure and tag bats, and keep a watchful eye for white-nose syndrome. “We wear decontamination suits so we don’t inadvertently


spread the fungus spores,” Kurta says. “White-nose syndrome presently affects only 5 to 10 percent of Michigan’s bat population, but with each year the problem will grow exponentially. We expect to see 15 to 25 percent affected by the end of this winter.” Researchers are scrambling to find effective methods of


eliminating the disease, or at least halting its progress. “There are certain volatile organic compounds used for food


preservation that may inhibit the growth of the fungus,” Kurta says. “The compounds evaporate in the air, so we don’t have to physically handle the bats. “The scary part about this problem is we don’t really know how it will impact the environment. The primary predators of nocturnal insects are suddenly disappearing. Will the bat species adapt, or will the insect population explode? Will farmers have to apply more chemicals on their crops? As a bat researcher, it’s really hard for me to see this mass bat mortality. We hope to find a solution before these bats go the way of the passenger pigeon.”


Stress management Just as humans need to adjust to climate change and its


accompanying environmental stressors, so do birds. But while some birds focus on survival when food is limited, others fail to adapt and starve to death. So what mechanisms enable certain birds to adjust to an unpredictable environment? EMU Assistant Professor of Biology Jamie Cornelius is


looking to two well-adapted species for answers—the red crossbill and the goldfinch. “Understanding how and why birds respond to changing


climate patterns and food availability is central to conservation and environmental management strategies,” she says.


22 Eastern | WINTER 2016


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