Southeastern Cave Bats: Reservoirs for Future Populations
Since 2006, White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) has devastated bat populations across eastern North America. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates the loss at more than 5.5 million bats. WNS and/or the fungal causative agent (Geomyces destructans) has now been documented in 21 states in the United States including Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia, and 4 Canadian provinces. Several southern states have confirmed the presence of G. destructans, without manifestation of WNS or the significant mortality observed in northeastern sites....
