Up to Bat for the Ecosystem
By Brenna Riley, Farm Bill Biologist, KS
My interest in conservation began early. As I grew up on a cattle ranch in the Red Hills of Kansas, one my most distinct memories became climbing the bluffs before dusk to marvel at the thousands of bats emerging from the karst caves below.
The Red Hills (AKA the Gypsum Hills).
Photo by Mike Coleman.
In Kansas, bats can be found roosting in caves, rocky outcroppings, under loose tree bark, and in man-made structures. Their diet includes a variety of insects along with scorpions and centipedes. Many are familiar with these flying mammals, but few are aware of their importance in the ecosystem. Annually, bats supply $23 billion in pest control, with one single species, the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), reported to consume 1.3 million insects yearly in North America alone (Boyles et al. 2011)! Without the assistance of bats, the United States agricultural industry would lose approximately $3.7 billion per year from pest and insect-related crop damage (Boyles et al. 2011). Several bat species serve as pollinators and seed dispersers, contributing to the health of plant communities. Along with bats’ significance in agriculture, they maintain ecological integrity of the environment at large - as the health and productivity of an ecosystem rely on the preservation of native biodiversity.
Water droplets on the fur of a tri-colored bat while in torpor – a decrease in metabolic activity. The condensation indicates that bats have lowered their body temperature and are ambient with the cave. This restful state allows bats to better conserve energy.
Unfortunately, bats face a multitude of threats like disease and loss of habitat. As changes in land use have shifted toward agriculture and urbanization, grassland habitat in the Great Plains has been reduced. White nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease, disrupts the hibernation of bats and has spread rapidly across North America, resulting in the mortality of at least 6 million bats (Jachowski et al. 2014). This disease mainly spreads through contact and is estimated to have caused over a 90 percent decrease in certain cave populations since 2006 (Sparks et al. 2011). These vulnerabilities make bats an even greater priority for conservation and research.
Education and outreach are vital tools for conservation. Allowing people to visualize the economic value of these organisms can increase appreciation for bats. There are several steps anyone can take to support bats and make their yards bat-friendly:
Select native plants for landscape and gardening to promote natural habitat.
Avoid pesticide use – bats need to eat!
Install a bat house to provide shelter.
Do not disturb bats in caves or during hibernation to reduce transmission of WNS.
Keep cats indoors, especially at night.
Avoid handling bats, instead, call an expert.
Bat houses can be installed on homes to provide additional shelter and encourage bats to frequent your backyard.
For organisms that are often misunderstood, bats provide irreplaceable ecosystem services. By taking bats into consideration, many important species benefit. A diverse native plant community and reduced pesticide use will attract pollinators, bolster insects, and provide a food source for birds and bats alike. Ecosystem resilience depends on connectivity and bats are an essential piece of the puzzle.
For more information on bat conservation and research, visit: Bat Conservation International.
To view species of bats in Kansas, visit: Kansas Mammal Atlas - Bats.
Literature Cited
Boyles, J.G., P.M. Cryan, G.F. McCracken, and T.H. Kunz. (2011). Economic importance of bats in agriculture. Science, 332, 41-42.
Jachowski, D.S., C.A. Dobony, L.S. Coleman, W.M. Ford, E.R. Britzke, and J.L. Rodrigue. (2014). Disease and community structure: white-nose syndrome alters spatial and temporal niche partitioning in sympatric bat species. Diversity and Distributions, 20, 1002-1015.
Sparks, D.W., C.J. Schmidt, and J.R. Choate. (2011). Bats of Kansas. ISU Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation.