Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-203). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-203). Also available online.

Thesis (M.E.S.)--The Evergreen State College, 2007. / Title from title screen (viewed 2/25/2009). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 32-38).

published_or_final_version / Microbiology / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

Nine years after the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) pandemic in 2003, a novel human coronavirus, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), emerged in the Middle East in 2012 and was believed to be of animal origin. Molecular study on the genome of MERS-CoV showed that it belongs to lineage C betacoronavirus and is closely related to the previously described Tylonycteris bat coronavirus HKU4 (Ty-BatCoV HKU4) and Pipistrellus bat coronavirus HKU5 (Pi-BatCoV HKU5) identified in Tylonycteris pachypus and Pipistrellus abramus respectively. In this study, 597 respiratory and 934 alimentary specimens from 1174 bats of 12 different species were collected in 20 sampling sites of Hong Kong over seven years from November 2005 to November 2012. Degenerate primers designed from alignment of RdRp genes of lineage C betacoronaviruses were able to amplify partial RdRp sequences in two bat species only in this study, including 8 lesser bamboo bats and 34 Japanese pipistrelle, with 200-bp sequences shared 99-100% and 96-100% nucleotide identities to Ty-BatCoV HKU4 and Pi-BatCoV HKU5 respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Ty-BatCoV HKU4 and Pi-BatCoV HKU5 were closely related to but still distinct from MERS-CoV, implying that the two bat coronaviruses are probably not the direct ancestor virus of MERS-CoV. The infection of Pi-BatCoV HKU5 is independent of sex (P = 0.494) but juvenile Japanese pipistrelles were more susceptible to the infection (P = 0.000101) while the infection of Ty-BatCoV HKU4 is independent of both sex (P = 0.464) and age (P = 0.193). Additionally, the mean body weight of the adult lesser bamboo bats positive for Ty-BatCoV HKU4 was significantly lower than that of the negative ones (P = 0.03). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the mean body weights between the positive and negative bats for Pi-BatCoV HKU5 among the juvenile Japanese pipistrelles (P = 0.06). Continuous surveillance study of coronaviruses on different bat species as well as other potential intermediate animal hosts should be carried on the evolution study of the lineage C betacoronaviruses. / published_or_final_version / Microbiology / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

11 pp. / This document provides a general overview of bat biology and behavior with emphasis on urban environments, use of integrated pest management (IPM) techniques that are in keeping with bat conservation guidelines, and disease awareness and prevention efforts.

No description available.

I quantified the bat assemblage associated with a Sonoran Desert riparian corridor at a wildland-urban interface using mist netting (2002-2005) to assess differential spatial and temporal resource use. My capture rate was high (17 species and 961 individuals) considering the aridity of the area; however, landscape complexity of this montane region undoubtedly contributes to foraging opportunities. I found that bats were distributed along the canyon when water was plentiful but their activity was concentrated at isolated pools during dry periods. I also found temporal variation in pool-use by the most frequently captured species. I conducted an acoustic study to measure bat-use between deciduous riparian and Sonoran desertscrub communities. I measured activity levels using number of acoustic call files. I found greater bat foraging in desertscrub and used a multidisciplinary approach to determine why bats might use the more arid environment. All capture data and supporting analyses are included in appendices.

The Tamana Cave system in Trinidad is relatively unaffected by the environment outside of the cave walls, like most cave ecosystems. Since a very limited amount of light can enter the cave, bat movement controls the temperature cycle rather than the solar radiation that controls it in the surrounding forest. Similarly, the ecosystem cannot be sustained by energy from photosynthesis and so the main source of energy comes from the guano produced by the insectivorous bat species, N. tumidirostris. The frugivorous bat species, P. hastatus, also roosts inside of the cave, but the wetness of the top level of its guano prevents the guano from being suitable for cockroach consumption and therefore ends the flow of energy through the system. STELLA software was used to create a model consisting of three stacked logistic growth equations that demonstrate the ecosystem of Tamana cave. The model focuses on the population of insectivorous bats, on the guano that this species produces, and on the cockroach species, E. distanti. The model provides insight into the population dynamics and environmental processes at play in the cave, and is useful in predicting the behavior of the ecosystem. After running the model under a number of different scenarios, the graphs were used to visually display the effects of altering inputs in the system. These altered inputs represent hypothetical changes that could occur in a natural system such as a lowered intrinsic rate of increase bat population, an increase in initial bat population, or a decrease in the amount of guano that each cockroach needs to survive.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2008. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.