The Vital Role of Bats in the Environment and Economy

Understanding the benefits and threats to over 45 bats in national parks

The Vital Role of Bats

Bats, despite being misunderstood and feared, are essential creatures that bring numerous benefits to the environment and economy. With over 45 unique species of bats in national parks, each species provides different benefits, such as pollinating plants, eating insects, serving as prey to other animals, and inspiring scientific discoveries.

Caves are complex ecosystems that provide homes for a variety of creatures, including insects, amphibians, fish, wood rats, and bats. The creatures in the cave can only survive within the cave, and they rely on nutrients carried into the cave by water or other animals. Bats provide important nutrients to these ecosystems in their guano, which is better fertilizer than cow manure, supporting the growth of communities of cave organisms.

Bats that eat insects are called insectivorous bats, and they eat insects every night, providing more than $3.7 billion worth of pest control each year in the US. With bats eating the insects, there are fewer insect pests causing damage to crops, and farmers don’t have to invest as much in pesticides. A bat eats more than 200 quarter-pound burgers equivalent in insects in one night.

Several species of bats in tropical and subtropical areas of the Americas eat nectar. Many types of plants in these regions rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal, such as the blue agave. Long-nose and long-tongue bats found in some southwestern parks are perfectly adapted to pollinate these plants, providing extensive value to the agricultural industry.

Fruit-eating bats, often called “flying foxes” because of their larger body size and big eyes, play important roles in distributing seeds to maintain plants and forests. These species of bats live in tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World, including Africa, Asia, and Australia. Fruit-eating bats are also found in some Pacific islands, Latin America, and the Caribbean and live in national parks in Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands.

Bats also play important roles in the food chain. Just as some bats rely on thousands of insects each night for survival, other animals in the ecosystem rely on bats for their calories. Hawks, falcons, and owls eat bats, and mammals like weasels, ringtail cats, and raccoons sometimes attack bats while they roost.

Bats have unique features such as membrane wings and echolocation that have inspired technological advances in engineering. Drones with thin and flexible bat-like wings are in the works, as well as tiny, more efficient sonar systems for navigation. The wingsuits used by base jumpers take more than a few cues from bats’ aerodynamic bodies.

Unfortunately, bats are declining across the globe due to human activities such as killing them out of fear and misunderstanding and disrupting their habitats during hibernation. White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has claimed the lives of more than 5 million bats since its discovery in 2006, has also spread across North America at alarming rates. The fungus can be transmitted from bat to bat, cave to bat, and even cave to cave, as people inadvertently carry the fungus on their shoes, clothing, or equipment. Since many bats hibernate in the same caves over the winter, the fungus can decimate an entire bat colony once established.

Bats are an important part of Northern California’s ecosystem, but their population is declining

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is working with partners to protect bats, research treatments to halt the spread of white-nose syndrome, and raise awareness about how incredible and vulnerable bats are. More than 15 bat species are currently listed as federally endangered, threatened, or under review in the candidate or petition process under the Endangered Species Act. Biologists and researchers complete bat surveys and utilize bands and transmitters to learn more about movements, habitats, and lifespans.

Bats are not only fascinating creatures, but they are also essential to maintaining a healthy ecosystem and a thriving economy. While they face numerous threats, there is hope that with continued conservation efforts, these underappreciated animals can continue to play their vital roles in the environment.

Sources: