Disease ecology of bats – the Canadian scene

Abstract

Bats are hosts to a range of pathogens, which include zoonotic pathogens and pathogens of conservation concern. Brock Fenton’s research on bat ecology has always balanced clear communication of potential health risks associated with bats and the need to communicate these risks precisely to avoid unnecessary persecution of bats. Here we integrate Brock’s work in the field of disease ecology with that of his students and collaborators and consider the potential advantages of studying disease ecology of bats within the Canadian context. The broad distribution of a few common species across the vast landscape of present-day Canada provides an opportunity to untangle the impacts of environmental variation on host-pathogen interactions and disease severity, particularly in the context of climate change. The varying migratory strategies and social structure of the bat species found in Canada could also facilitate informative inter-specific studies to better understand how bat health is affected by interactions among rapid environmental changes and the physiological traits and social behaviour of different species. We propose a series of priority research questions and approaches that could further our understanding of bat health and disease ecology in Canada, inspired by the work of Brock, his colleagues, and students.