White-Nose Syndrome Killing Bats in Northeastern U.S.

Biologists at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have identified a mysterious white fungus that is responsible for devastating bat populations in the northeastern United States.

First identified two years ago, scientists have isolated a white fungus that grows on the muzzle (hence the name "white-nose syndrome") and body of bats and thrives in the extreme cold and dry conditions of winter caves. The exact mechanism by which this fungus kills the bats is not yet understood, but the condition appears to have an 80% to 100% mortality rate. Some hibernacula (bat colonies) have lost as many as 90% of their numbers.

White-nose syndrome was first found in caves in upstate New York, Vermont, western Massachusetts and Connecticut but has spread this year to caves as far as New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Little brown bats are the most affected species, although the disease has also affected northern long-eared and small-footed bats, eastern pipistrelle bats as well as the Indiana bat, currently listed as an endangered species. Because female bats birth only one pup per year, this syndrome may have serious consequences to their overall population.

Bats play a crucial role in many ecosystems by keeping the insect population in check as well as providing pollination for some plants. The fungus is not believed to pose a health risk for humans but there is a fear that this syndrome could spread unchecked and spur an ecological crisis as local bat colonies disappear.

This news was released recently by the Northeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: Yahoo!