Introduction
There are a lot of myths and stereotypes about the minor role of bats on our planet. It is commonly argued by many people that bats are pests, the existence of which does not make any sense. However, such kind of assumptions are inherently wrong and downplay the importance of bats in the ecosystem. In fact, bats are not pests but pest controllers eating many night insects (Mittelstadt, 2011). Many scholars argue about the possibility that bats can become extinct in the future because of human impact and new deadly diseases. The main thesis is that bats play an overwhelmingly important role on the planet, so some action should be taken to prevent bats’ extinction because their extinction will cause a severe ecological crisis for the continent.
Major Facts About Bats
Although bats have a distinctive appearance, the variety of different species is huge. For example, the largest bat species, called the giant golden-crowned fly fox, weighs almost 3.5 pounds and has a wingspan of nearly 67 inches, while the smallest one, Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, weighs 0.06-0.09 ounces (“Bat Fact Sheet,” 2021). Another feature of bats is that they live everywhere, except for a few oceanic islands, the Arctic and Antarctica. What is more, bats can be found in a variety of habitats, including deserts, tropics, caves, forests, wetlands, and even cities (“Bat Fact Sheet,” 2021). Also, one of the least known facts about bats is that they can live 18-32 years with a longevity record of 41 years (White et al., 2019). The scientific community is concentrated on the fact that there are a lof species that can become extinct: according to IUCN, 16,2% of 1314 bat species will be endangered or vulnerable in 2020. Moreover, it is evident that the population of bats in North America has declined (VPM, 2019). This fact poses the world community’s responsibility to make an effort to save endangered species.
Role of Bats in the Ecosystem
It is impossible to imagine a modern North American ecosystem without the influence of bats on it. Firstly, bats are the main predators of night insects (Mittelstadt, 2011). For the majority of their life, they spend the night when distinctive species of insect appear, some of which pose some danger to people. Secondly, there are almost 100 species of plants that cannot survive without bats (Mittelstadt, 2011). The reason is that bats contribute to the spread of seeds and pollination of plants, such as bananas, cashew, mangos, and so forth.
Researchers of bats need to be informed about the interconnections that are naturally constructed in the ecosystem. Firstly, bats, by spreading seeds, provoke some positive “by-products” of their activity. The spread of new seeds increases soil fertility produced by the plants that grow from above mentioned distributed seeds (Enríquez-Acevedo, 2020). As a result, such seed dispersion positively contributes to human activity, especially to farmers, who get more fertile territories. Secondly, there are some functions of bats that are not extensively discussed by scholars. Two of these insufficiently researched functions are nutrient cycling and arthropod suppression (Castillo-Figueroa, 2020). Nutrient cycling means the transportation of important ecosystem nutrients to the places where these nutrients positively impact the environment. Castillo-Figueroa (2020) indicates that “bats can fertilize trees that are used as roosting sites, increasing nitrogen content in the tree soil and their seeds” (p. 86). As for arthropod suppression, it means that bats help plants to survive arthropods. Bats make it by gleaning insects from plants and water in cluttered forests and hunting in open spaces. Thus, bats are the key player in the modern ecosystem worldwide, including in Northern America.
Possible Extinction of Bats
White Nose Syndrome
The reason to write the paper on such a topic is that there is a concern in the US that bats will become extinct because of a new disease called white-nose syndrome. The white-nose syndrome affects bats’ hibernation through the growth of cold-loving fungus, which makes bats awake earlier and causes them to die from starvation (Mittlestadt, 2011). Merlin D. Tuttle, founder and president of Emeritus Bat Conservation International indicates that “[it] does far has been the most devastating infections to hit American wildlife” (Mcgowan, 2013). Indeed, the syndrome appeared in America in 2008 in the northeast and has already killed over 5.5 million bats (US Fish & Wildlife Service, 2015). The most dangerous aspect of the disease is the high mortality rate, which is estimated to be over 95% (Mittlestadt, 2011). Such an extremely dangerous disease was the reason to investigate the importance of bats to the North American ecosystem. The main thesis is that bats play an overwhelmingly important role on the planet, so some action should be taken to prevent bats’ extinction because their extinction will cause a severe ecological crisis for the continent.
Damage Made to Bats by Humans
After a close analysis of bats’ role in the ecosystem, it is hard to imagine the world without them. If bats die out, there will be a huge breakdown for the whole environment. It will lead to a highly increased number of insects, damaging plants and bringing many difficulties to people’s lives (Mittelstadt, 2011). Besides, there are a lot of plants that cannot live without pollination and seed dispersal by bats. There will be a great shortage of bananas and mangos which will start the dreadful link of species’ extinction dependent on these plants. Therefore, it is humankind’s obligation to protect the population of bats on Earth.
However, it is argued that the impact made by humans on bats leads to a decrease in bats’ population. The integral way how humans affect bats’ habitat is the uncontrolled human access to caves where bats sleep (VMP, 2019). The entrance of humans into wild caves results in a change of habitat, so even a small change in the ecosystem of a cave can cause the death of the whole population living there. Organizations for bat conservation advocate for the limitation of people’s access to caves. It is usually made by installing so-called “bat gates” that allow bats to enter but restrict uncontrolled human access (VMP, 2019). Another way how people can help bats is through the installation of special bat boxes that can serve as a suitable place for living in areas where bats are actually living (VPM, 2019). It can help some populations survive if they do not find any natural place to live and sleep.
Conclusion
Bats play an integral role in the functioning of the North American ecosystem. The scientific knowledge shows that bats are involved in seed dispersal, pollination, nutrient cycling, and arthropod suppression. However, there is the danger that some species of bats can become extinct because of white-nose syndrome, which caused the death of 5 million bats in the US and Canada and the harmful impact of human activity. To prevent this, people can contribute to the preservation of the bats’ population by participating in bats preservation centers, advocating for state measures to protect bats, and involving in voluntary assistance to bats through the construction of special places for their residence and non-violent treatment of these animals.
References
Bat Fact Sheet. (2021). PBS. Web.
Castillo-Figueroa, D. (2020). Why bats matters: a critical assessment of bat-mediated ecological processes in the Neotropics. European Journal of Ecology, 6(1), 77-101.
Enríquez-Acevedo, T., Pérez-Torres, J., Ruiz-Agudelo, C., & Suarez, A. (2020). Seed dispersal by fruit bats in Colombia generates ecosystem services. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 40(6), 1-15.
Mcgowan, D. (2013). Battle for bats: Surviving white nose syndrome [Short Documentary]. Ravenswood Media.
Mittelstadt, J. (2011). White nose syndrome: Devastating fungus threatens North American bats [Short Documentary].
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. (2015). White-nose syndrome: the devastating disease of hibernating bats in North America. Web.
VPM. (2019). Bats have an important role in our ecosystem, such as increasing biodiversity in our environment [Video]. YouTube. Web.
White, J. P., Nordquist, G. E., & Kaarakka, H. M. (2019). Longevity records of five male little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) in Northwest Wisconsin. Northeastern Naturalist, 26(4).