title: Environment, host, and fungal traits predict continental-scale white-nose syndrome in bats.
abstract: White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease killing bats in eastern North America, but disease is not seen in European bats and is less severe in some North American species. We show that how bats use energy during hibernation and fungal growth rates under different environmental conditions can explain how some bats are able to survive winter with infection and others are not. Our study shows how simple but nonlinear interactions between fungal growth and bat energetics result in decreased survival times at more humid hibernation sites; however, differences between species such as body size and metabolic rates determine the impact of fungal infection on bat survival, allowing European bat species to survive, whereas North American species can experience dramatic decline.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Private Bag, 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: David T S
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Hayman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.; Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.; Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Juliet R C
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3314-8223
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Pulliam
authors.affiliation: Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health Laboratory, Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Private Bag, 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.; Institute of Fundamental Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag, 11 222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jonathan C
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0758-9658
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA.
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2915-8894
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Cryan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
authors.forename: Colleen T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Webb
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D004777:Environment; D005658:Fungi; D005843:Geography; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D009181:Mycoses / Q000662:veterinary; D009656:North America; D012621:Seasons; D013577:Syndrome
keywords: Emerging infectious disease; Eptesicus fuscus; Eptesicus serotinus; Extinction; Geomyces destructans; Myotis lucifugus; Myotis myotis; Pseudogymnoascus destructans; energetic model; fungal pathogen; hibernation