‘Alarming’ climate change threatens the future of many bat species
By Matt Walker, Editor, BBC Nature
24 August 2012 Climate change threatens the future of a significant number of bat species. Bats have already suffered due to changing temperatures, according to a study published in Mammal Review. That change is “alarming” say the report’s authors, but worse is expected as temperatures rise further. The foraging and feeding, roosting, range sizes and reproduction of bats will all be affected, while extreme weather and disease will also impact many bat species, they say. More than one in five mammal species are bats, which are considered ecologically and economically important, due to their ability to pollinate and disperse the seeds of a great many plants. Mathieu Lundy, Hayley Sherwin and Ian Montgomery of Queens University, Belfast, UK reviewed the scientific literature for observed impacts that climate change has had on bat species. They then looked to see how many of the bat species living across Europe and North America might be impacted by further temperature rises. They found numerous examples of how bats will be affected. For example, climate change is expected to impact the foraging ability of bats. Firstly bats, particularly lactating females, may have to fly further to drink. Bats are more vulnerable to dehydration than other mammals of a similar size, especially in arid areas, as they lack specific adaptations to retain water and it evaporates at a high rate from the large surface area of their wings. Aerial-hawking bats, which take insects on the wing, may also have to travel further to find food. […] The researchers write that 38 of the 47 species of European and North American bat species investigated would be at risk from these factors. Bats may also wake more quickly from hibernation or torpor, as temperatures increase. Free-living greater horseshoe bats spend less time in torpor, a form of sleep that helps animals conserve energy, when the outside temperature warms. Captive eastern red bats, and other species of wild tree-roosting bats do similar. Eleven species that roost in caves or trees are at risk. […]
