Meeting Abstract
Since 2006, white-nose syndrome (WNS) has had a devastating impact on populations of Myotis lucifugus (little brown myotis) in North America. However, some remnant populations are starting to recover. As soon as they emerge from hibernation, many bats continue to fight the Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) fungus infection, the cause of WNS, and then recover from the disease, which costs energy. Understanding the energetic cost of the immune response of the little brown myotis to this fungal infection is important for understanding how this important species is recovering from this disease. We examined basal metabolic rate (BMR), an important measure of energy expenditure, and bacterial killing ability of blood and white blood cell count, both important measures of immune ability in the bats. We also assessed wing damage due to the Pd fungus, because the extent of wing damage reflects the course of immune response and recovery by the bat to the fungus. Pd fungal load of the bat was assessed as well. We hypothesized that fungal activity will cause increased immune response, costing energy that would otherwise be used towards pregnancy. We examined whether population growth and recovery in some bat maternity colonies is affected by energy cost of immune response and recovery to WNS. We found the colony with the highest rate of growth did not have the highest energy use or immune response, but the differences among colonies in energy use and immune response changed with pregnancy. Additionally, contrary to our hypothesis, no significant relationship between fungal load and BMR was found.
