title: A spatially-based modeling framework for assessing the risks of soil-associated metals to bats.
abstract: Populations of some species of bats are declining in some regions of Europe. These declines are probably due to a range of pressures, including climate change, urbanization and exposure to toxins such as metals. This paper describes the development, paramaterisation and application of a spatially explicit modeling framework to predict the risks of soil-associated metals (lead, copper, zinc and cadmium) to bat health. Around 5.9% of areas where bats reside were predicted to have lead levels that pose a risk to bat health. For copper, this value was 2.8%, for cadmium it was 0.6% and for zinc 0.5%. Further work is therefore warranted to explore the impacts of soil-associated metals on bat populations in the UK.
authors.affiliation: University of York, Heslington, York, UK. beatrice.hernout@fera.gsi.gov.uk
authors.forename: Béatrice V
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Hernout
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Somerwill
authors.forename: Kathryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: Colin J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: McClean
authors.forename: Alistair B A
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Boxall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000378:metabolism*; D003300:Copper / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D020387:Food Chain; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D002104:Cadmium; D003300:Copper; D015032:Zinc