Habitat Suitability for White-Nose Syndrome of Bats in the United States

Abstract

There are many bat species in the world, and many of them play roles in providing services to the ecosystems where they live. They help with pest control, pollination, and nutrient recycling. Another service they provide is aesthetic value to ecotourism. A handful of common bat species in the United States have been facing a fungal disease that has led to massive population declines since 2005. The white fungus that causes the disease grows on the bats’ muzzles, ears, and wings. It leads to behavior changes in hibernating bats which can cause death. The first North American occurrence of this disease was found in New York but is gradually spreading across the country. This project aims to perform a habitat suitability analysis for white-nose syndrome in the United States. The data for this analysis includes white-nose syndrome occurrences from 2005-2019 across the contiguous lower 48 states and environmental variables retrieved from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website. The environmental variables are from November-April (hibernating season) and include average temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation. The four variables were assigned a weight to design a suitability model in the order above. The results showed that areas in the western US have suitable habitats for the fungus. Determining suitable habitats may help implement conservation decisions that focus on preventing white-nose syndrome.