Rachel Ritchie

The Bats of Eastern Oklahoma and the Spread of White-Nose Syndrome

 

My Master's Thesis project is focusing on white-nose syndrome in Oklahoma bats. White-nose syndrome is an emerging disease among North American bat populations. Caused by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, an estimated 5.5 million bats have died of white-nose syndrome since the first known case in 2006. In many cases, white-nose syndrome causes 90-100% death rate in bat hibernacula.

 

Seven bat species are confirmed to be affected by white-nose syndrome, and five of those species live in Eastern Oklahoma. While there are not yet confirmed cases of white-nose syndrome in Oklahoma, bats in Delaware County, OK tested positive for P. destructans between fall 2014 and spring 2015.

 

My Eastern Oklahoma study site is less than 60 miles from Delaware County, and is comprised of ideal habitat for many of the bat species affected by white-nose syndrome. My field work will focus on surveying the bat species present at my study site, testing them for P. destructans, and analyzing their habitat preferences. This project will further knowledge of the spread of white-nose syndrome across the United States and provide novel data about habitat preferences of bats affected by white-nose syndrome as they correspond to P. destructans infection.

 

To learn more about white-nose syndrome and how you can help, please visit www.whitenosesyndrome.org.