摘要
Anthropogenically driven environmental change has imposed substantial threats on biodiversity, including the emergence of infectious diseases that have resulted in declines of wildlife globally. In response to pathogen invasion, maintaining diversity within host populations across heterogenous environments is essential to facilitating species persistence. White-nose syndrome is an emerging fungal pathogen that has caused mass mortalities of hibernating bats across North America. However, in the northeast, peripheral island populations of the endangered northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) appear to be persisting despite infection while mainland populations in the core of the species range have experienced sharp declines. Thus, this study investigated host and environmental factors that may contribute to divergent population responses. We compared patterns of pathogen exposure and infection intensity between populations and documented the environmental conditions and host activity patterns that may promote survival despite disease invasion. For island populations, we found lower prevalence and less severe infections, possibly due to a shorter hibernation duration compared to the mainland, which may reduce the time for disease progression. The coastal region of the northern myotis range may serve as habitat refugia that enables this species to persist despite pathogen exposure; however, conservation efforts could be critical to supporting species survival in the long term.
摘要译文
人为驱动的环境变化对生物多样性构成重大威胁，包括传染病的出现，导致全球野生动物数量减少。 为了应对病原体的入侵，在异质性环境中保持宿主种群的多样性对于促进物种持久性至关重要。 白鼻综合症是一种新出现的真菌病原体，在北美造成大量冬眠蝙蝠死亡。 然而，在东北部，濒危的北极子鼠（Myotis septentrionalis）的外围岛屿种群似乎持续存在，尽管受到感染，而物种范围核心的大陆种群却急剧下降。 因此，本研究调查了可能促成不同种群反应的宿主和环境因素。 我们比较了不同人群之间病原体暴露和感染强度的模式，并记录了尽管疾病侵袭但仍可促进生存的环境条件和宿主活动模式。 对于岛屿人群，我们发现患病率较低，感染严重程度较低，这可能是由于与大陆相比，冬眠持续时间较短，这可能缩短疾病进展的时间。 肌腱虫北部的沿海地区可作为栖息地避难所，使这种物种在病原体暴露的情况下仍能生存；然而，保护工作对于支持物种的长期生存至关重要。
Samantha Hoff; Joseph R. Hoyt; Kate E. Langwig; Luanne Johnson; Elizabeth Olson; Danielle O’Dell; … See all authors. The importance of peripheral populations in the face of novel environmental change[J]. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 2025,292(2038)