Meeting Abstract

S10.4  Friday, Jan. 7  Hibernation energetics, evaporative water loss and conservation of bats WILLIS, Craig K.R.*; BOYLES, Justin G.; University of Winnipeg; University of Pretoria c.willis@uwinnipeg.ca

Hibernation allows many endotherms to survive energetic shortfalls during winter but can leave individuals vulnerable to disturbance from predators, pathogens and, in the case of bats, human visitors to hibernacula. Pioneering work by Don Thomas and his collaborators on hibernation energetics, and the influence of water balance on torpor-arousal patterns in bats, has been important for understanding these potential impacts for bat populations. His work has gained even greater recent prominence in hibernation research because of the influence of his ideas on research into white-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats, a crisis for North American wildlife conservation. WNS appears to cause an energy imbalance, as evidenced by emaciated bats during hibernation, and likely a water imbalance, as evidenced by severely dehydrated bats. We present research, inspired in large part by Don’s work on hibernation energetics, which aims to shed light on physiological mechanisms underlying mortality of bats affected by WNS and the implications of these mechanisms for bat populations.