Vírus da raiva provenientes de 23 morcegos de espécies hematófagas, frugívoras e insetívoras foram caracterizados geneticamente pelo seqüenciamento completo da região que codifica a nucleoproteína N. A análise filogenética das seqüências, incluindo lyssavirus e isolados de morcegos do Chile e Estados Unidos, mostrou que os diferentes isolados do vírus da raiva foram de modo geral segregados em quatro grupos genéticos distintas: morcegos hematófagos, morcegos insetívoros 1, 2 e 3. Os morcegos insetívoros 1 constituiram-se por isolados de Eptesicus furinalis: BR-EF1, BR-EF2, BREF3, BR-EF-4, BR-EA1 e BR-NL2; os morcegos insetívoros 2 consistiram de isolados de Molosssus spp: BR-MM1, BR-MM2 e BR- MA1 e os morcegos insetívoros 3 isolados de Nictinomops laticaudatus: BR-NL1 e BR-NL3. A homologia de nucleotídeos entre cada grupo de morcegos insetívoros 1, 2 e 3 foi maior que 99%, 97% e 99%, respectivamente. O grupo de morcegos hematófagos foi representado pelos isolados de: 3 morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus (BR-DR1, BR-DR2 e BR-DR3); 5 morcegos frugívoros Artibeus lituratus BR-AL1, BR-AL2, BR-AL3, BR-AL4 e Artibeus planirostris BRAP1; 2 morcegos insetívoros (BR-MR1 e BR-EA2) e 2 de espécies não identificadas (BR-BAT1 e BR-BAT2). Entre as amostras seqüenciadas foram selecionadas cinco (BR-EF1, BR-NL1, BR-AL3, BR-MM1, BR-DR1) e um isolado de cão (BR-C) para os estudos de patogenicidade em camundongos albinos suíços inoculados pela vias intracerebral (IC) e intramuscular (IM). Todas as amostras quando inoculadas em camundongos pela via IC apresentaram-se patogênicas, provocando a morte dos mesmos num período de 4 a 14 dias pós-inoculação. No entanto, 500DLIC50 das mesmas amostras inoculadas pela via IM levaram a uma mortalidade de camundongos de: 60% (BR-DR1); 50% (BR-C, BR-NL); 40% (BR- AL3); 9,5% (BR-MM1); 5,2% (BR-EF10). As mesmas amostras foram utilizadas para a verificação de proteção cruzada, conferida por vacina comercial de uso animal, de camundongos que receberam uma ou duas doses de vacina pela via subcutânea (SC) e desafiados pelas vias IC e IM. Camundongos inoculados com duas doses de vacina foram protegidos quando desafiados pela via IC, com todas as amostras testadas. Quando os camundongos receberam uma dose da mesma vacina houve proteção parcial daqueles desafiados com as amostras de vírus PV e BR-C. Houve proteção de 100% dos camundongos desafiados pela via IM, com exceção daqueles vacinados com uma dose de vacina e desafiados com a amostra PV que apresentaram um índice de 66% de sobreviventes. Os resultados indicam a possibilidade de existir variantes do vírus da raiva espécies específicas circulando em morcegos. Sugerem ainda, que espécies de morcegos hematófagos, frugívoros e insetívoros compartilham o mesmo polimorfismo de vírus. A vacina comercial contra a raiva contendo vírus inativado e de uso veterinário protegeu os camundongos contra o desafio com as diferentes amostras testadas, sugerindo que as vacinas usualmente utilizadas são efetivas no tratamento profilático da raiva transmitida por morcegos, apesar da marcada diferença de neurovirulência dos diferentes isolados quando inoculados em camundongos pela via IM. / Twenty-three rabies viruses isolated from hematophagous, frugivorous and insectivorous bats were characterized genetically by complete sequencing of the region coding the nucleoprotein N. The phylogenetic analysis of the sequences, including the lyssavirus and the bat isolates from Chile and USA revealed that the isolates were segregated into four distinct genetic lineages: those related to the vampire bats and to the insectivorous bats 1, 2 and 3. The isolates related to the insectivorous bats 1 were from the Eptesicus furinalis: BR-EF1, BR- EF2, BREF3, BR-EF-4, BR-EA1 e BR-NL2; those of the insectivorous bats2 included the isolates from Molosssus spp: BR-MM1, BR-MM2 and BR-MA1 and the group 3, by the isolates from the Nictinomops laticaudatus: BR-NL1 and BR-NL3. The homology among each group of the insectivorous bats 1, 2 and 3 were greater than 99%, 97% and 99%, respectively. The lineage related to vampire bats was represented by three isolates from the D. rotundus (BR-DR1, BR-DR2 e BR-DR3); five from the fruit bats Artibeus lituratus (BR-AL1, BR-AL2, BR-AL3, BR-AL4) and Artibeus planirostris (BRAP1); two from insectivorous bats (BR-MR1 and BR-EA2) and two from unidentified species (BR-BAT1 and BR-BAT2). Among the sequenced amples, five bat isolates (BR-EF1, BR-NL1, BR-AL3, BR-MM1, BR- DR1) and one dog isolate (BR-C) were selected for the study of their pathogenicity in Swiss mice, inoculating through intracerebral (IC) and intramuscular (IM) routes. All the isolates, when inoculated via IC, were pathogenic, provoking death in 4 - 14 post inoculation days. However, mice inoculated with 500ICLD50 of the same isolates through IM route were found with different death rates: 60.0% (BR-DR1); 50.0% (BR-C, BR-NL); 40.0% (BR-AL3); 9.5% (BR-MM1) and 5.2% (BR-EF10). The same isolates were used for the assessment of cross protection conferred by a commercial vaccine of veterinary use. The mice were vaccinated subcutaneously, receiving either one or two shots of vaccine, and challenged through IC and IM routes. Mice receiving two shots were protected against all the isolates, when challenged intracerebrally. Mice receiving one shot were found only partially protected against the challenge with the fixed PV strain and BR-C isolate. Mice challenged intramuscularly showed 100.0% of protection, with the exception of those vaccinated with one dose and challenged with PV strain, which were found with 66.0% of survivors. These results indicate the possibility of the existence of rabies virus variants circulating in different species of bat population. The data also suggest that the vampires, frugivorous and insectivorous bats share the same lineage of rabies viruses. The commercial vaccine has protected the mice against the challenge with different rabies virus isolates, suggesting that the vaccines usually employed in the field are effective, although some marked difference in neurovirulence by IM inoculation was found among the isolates tested.

Drivers of environmental change in one location can have profound effects on ecosystem services and human well-being in distant locations, often across international borders. The telecoupling provides a conceptual framework for describing these interactions-for example, locations can be defined as sending areas (sources of flows of ecosystem services, energy, or information) or receiving areas (recipients of flows). However, the ability to quantify feedbacks between ecosystem change in one area and societal benefits in other areas requires analytical approaches. We use spatial subsidies-an approach developed to measure the degree to which a migratory species' ability to provide services in one location depends on habitat in another location-as an example of how telecoupling can be operationalized. Using the cotton pest control and ecotourism services of Mexican free-tailed bats as an example, we determined that of the 16 states in the United States and Mexico where the species resides, three states (Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado) are receiving areas, while the rest of the states are sending areas. In addition, the magnitude of spatial subsidy can be used as an indicator of the degree to which different locations are telecoupled to other locations. In this example, the Mexican free-tailed bat ecosystem services to cotton production and ecotourism in Texas and New Mexico are heavily dependent on winter habitat in four states in central and southern Mexico. In sum, spatial subsidies can be used to operationalize the telecoupling conceptual framework by identifying sending and receiving areas, and by indicating the degree to which locations are telecoupled to other locations.

Dados da Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) mostram que a raiva é um problema de saúde pública podendo acarretar sérios prejuízos ambientais e econômicos, a despeito da existência de vacinas eficazes de uso humano e veterinário. Segundo seu último informe, estima-se que no mundo em torno de 55.000 pessoas por ano morrem de raiva. O cão permanece como principal transmissor da raiva para o homem e também como principal vítima da doença. Nos países que conseguiram controlar a raiva em animais domésticos, o vírus se mantém circulante na natureza por meio dos animais silvestres, sendo os morcegos apontados como a segunda espécie transmissora da raiva a humanos. Os Lyssavirus têm sido detectados em morcegos, em diversos continentes, sendo identificados como transmissor em dez das onze espécies de Lyssavirus. Fósseis de morcego mostram sua presença há 50 milhões de anos. Mas somente em 1911, Carini relacionou pela primeira vez a raiva aos morcegos, levantando a hipótese destes serem os transmissores da doença a outros animais. Há registros de que o vírus da raiva foi isolado em pelo menos 41 das 167 espécies de morcegos brasileiras, sendo que a maioria dessas espécies está relacionada a atividades humanas com a presença destes animais próximos ao local de trabalho e moradia das pessoas. Os morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus são encontrados do norte do México até a costa norte do Chile, região central da Argentina e costa do Uruguai e com exceção do Chile. Esta espécie de morcego tem sido apontada como reservatório natural do vírus da raiva nesta região. Alguns pesquisadores observaram que a raiva em morcegos não hematófagos precede a raiva bovina e em animais de estimação, sugerindo que os morcegos não hematófagos podem ser o elo entre a raiva silvestre e a raiva urbana e o fato de se detectar a variante mantida por morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus em cães e gatos mostra que o papel deste morcego no ciclo da raiva não está limitado à raiva silvestre. As características dos Lyssavirus adaptados a morcegos têm mostrado diferenças quando comparadas à raiva relacionada aos carnívoros, confirmando a necessidade do desenvolvimento de metodologias que permitam estudos complementares mais precisos a respeito da biologia e epidemiologia da raiva em quirópteros. A escassez de dados na literatura, até o momento, a respeito do genoma completo da variante do vírus da raiva mantida por populações de morcegos hematófagos Desmodus rotundus, deixa uma lacuna no entendimento da epidemiologia molecular deste vírus. A importância epidemiológica desta espécie na transmissão da raiva é inquestionável. Neste estudo foi sequenciado e analisado, o genoma da variante do vírus da raiva mantido por populações de morcego hematófago Desmodus rotundus isolado de um morcego hematófago Desmodus rotundus. A amostra, procedente de área endêmica no Estado de São Paulo, foi filogeneticamente comparada com o genoma da amostra padrão para a espécie viral 1 - Rabies virus e outras amostras pertencentes ao ciclo aéreo ou terrestre de transmissão, disponíveis no GenBank, identificando possíveis padrões de diferenciação, próprios do ciclo aéreo, e em alguns casos relacionados somente à variante estudada. / Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that rabies is a public health problem which can cause serious environmental and economic damage, despite the existence of effective vaccines for human and veterinary use. According to WHO latest report, estimated that worldwide around 55,000 people per year died of rabies. The dog remains the main transmitter of rabies to humans as well as the main victim of the disease. In countries that were successful in controlling rabies in domestic animals, the virus is still circulating in nature by wild animals and the bats are seen as the second species transmitting rabies to humans. The Lyssavirus have been detected in bats in several continents and is identified as a transmitter in ten of eleven species of Lyssavirus. Bat fossils show their presence for 50 million years. But only in 1911, in the first time Carini related to rabies at bats, raising the possibility of these being the transmitters of the disease to other animals. Reports show that the Rabies virus was isolated in at least 41 of the 167 species of bats in Brazil, with the majority of these species is related to human activities with the animals living near the local job and houses of people. The vampire bat Desmodus rotundus is found from northern Mexico to northern Chile coast, central coast of Argentina and Uruguay and with the exception of Chile. This bat species has been identified as a natural reservoir of the Rabies virus in this region. Some researchers observed that rabies into non-hematophagous bats precedes the bovine rabies and in pets, suggesting that the non-hematophagous bats may be the link between wildlife rabies and urban rabies and the fact that detect the variant maintained by vampire bats Desmodus rotundus in dogs and cats shows that the role of bat rabies in the cycle is not limited to wildlife rabies. The characteristics of Lyssavirus bat adapted have been shown differences when compared to rabies related to the carnivores, confirming the need to develop methods that enable more accurate follow-up studies about the biology and epidemiology of rabies in bats. The paucity of data in the literature to date about the complete genome of the Rabies virus variant maintained by populations of vampire bats Desmodus rotundus leaves a gap in understanding the molecular epidemiology of this virus and the epidemiological importance of this species in the transmission of Rabies virus is unquestionable. In this study we sequenced and analyzed the genome of the Rabies virus variant maintained by populations of bat Desmodus rotundus isolated from a bat Desmodus rotundus. The sample, coming from an endemic area in São Paulo, was phylogenetically compared with the genome of the standard sample for spcies 1 - Rabies virus and other samples belonging to the Terrestrial and Aerial cycles of transmission, available in GenBank, to identify possible patterns of differentiating themselves Aerial cycle and in some cases linked only to variant studied.

Context: Large numbers of bats are killed by collisions with wind turbines and there is at present no accepted method of reducing or preventing this mortality. We designed a system, which detects and records any bats’ activity in and around the surroundings of wind turbines. The system can help to study bats by identifying the species that are present in that particular locality. Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is to design an ultrasound-based IoT system, which detects the bats to prevent them from clashing with wind turbines. The design is based on a study of bats’ behaviors. Methods: The system has been developed using User-Driven Design, UDD, approach. The required functionalities have been embedded into IoT based system. An ultrasonic technology along with other sensors are used. The sensors are intended to activate monitoring during favorable conditions for bat activity. Results: A model of a system has been developed. The model was implemented into a prototype. Recorded bats’ activities are uploaded to a server by employing a suitable app, which informs the user about the activities of bats' various sub-species. Conclusions: A surveillance for bats approaching the wind farms within 80 m has been developed. The monitoring system is activated when the weather conditions are favorable for bat activities.

2 ABSTRACT The degree of spatial activity, especially the home-range size, is one of the basic biolog- ical characteristics of animals and whether it has enough resources is crucial for the survival and reproduction of the individual. Therefore, it is not surprising that many studies trying to make clear the effect of various ecological and morphological variables and explain the varia- bility of space activities. Bats are a group of mammals, for which until recently, existed only few information about their spatial activity. However, due to the miniaturization of technology and the use of radiotelemetry amount of information rapidly increasing. The aim of this study was to assemble the most complete information about the home- range size and foraging distance of bats and analyze the effect of variables that can influence the spatial activity. From published papers I collected data on 106 species representing 8 fami- lies. The influence of 6 variables (weight, wing loading, aspect ratio, food specialization, colony size, primary productivity of environment) on home-range size and average foraging distance of bat was analysed by phylogenetic regression (PGLS). The best predictor of the home-range size is the primary productivity of the environment, food specialization and body size. The best explanation of...

Population structure, biogeography and phylogenetic relationships of the fruit bat genus Rousettus have been studied in Africa and adjacent regions. The current population patterns of rousettine fruit bats in the Old World are influenced by several environmental attributes, namely the topography, climate and land cover. These variables are mirrored in fruit bat plesiomorphies related to the ecological niche of tropical flying frugivore, as well as apomorphies of rousettines including echolocation ability, roosting in caves and dispersal capacity in open landscapes with discontinuous tree cover. Phylogenetic relationships among species and subspecies of the genus have been indicated and confronted with the existing colonization scenarios. Insular populations (including habitat islands within desert oases) show frequent genetic differentiation from their mainland relatives suggesting successful founder events after traversing stretches of unsuitable habitats. Genetic differentiation evolving in less distant islands suggests involving behavioural mechanisms maintaining cohesion of isolated demes as site fidelity and natal habitat-biased dispersal. In sub-Saharan mainland Africa within the large range reaching from the southern border of Sahara to Cape Peninsula, Rousettus populations share a...

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Ljusföroreningar är ett stort framväxande problem och då fladdermöss oftast är nattaktiva erfaras de ingå i den taxa som påverkas mest. LED-belysning blir allt vanligare i gatubelysning och utstrålar bland annat inget UV-ljus jämfört med traditionella ljuskällor som utstrålar UV-ljus och därmed förändrar insekters- och potentiellt fladdermössens beteende. Det var därför relevant att undersöka hur den stod sig till traditionella ljuskällor med avseende på ekologisk påverkan. Med anledning av ett stort utbyte till LED i Karlstads kommun 2019 gavs en möjlighet att jämföra påverkan på fladdermöss utifrån olika ljuskällor. Syftet med studien var att undersöka om bytet till LED från traditionella ljuskällor skulle kunna ha en lägre påverkan på fladdermöss i Karlstads kommun och ifall en skillnad mellan arter kunde påvisas. Studien grundade sig i observationsdata hämtad från Fyndkartor via Artportalen, kartskikt från modelleringsverktyget PREBAT och kommunens belysningslager. Vidare har hänsyn tagits till födotillgång, avståndet till- och antalet boplatser, utifrån uppskattningar av PREBAT. Studien fann en signifikant medelskillnad om ca. 20% lägre avstånd till belysning mellan åren före och efter bytet till LED-belysning. Samtliga arter av fladdermöss hade lägre avstånd till LED-belysning jämfört med övrig belysning, däremot var skillnaden inte signifikant. Ingen signifikant skillnad kunde påvisas mellan arter, även om de mer opportunistiska arterna hade lägre avstånd till samtliga ljuskällor. Vidare kunde inte boplatsernas avstånd eller antal förklaras som en bidragande faktor till det låga avståndet till LED då fladdermössen inte visade en statistiskt signifikant ”preferens” för LED-belysning. Denna studie överensstämmer med tidigare forskning som säger att artificiell belysning påverkar fladdermöss men huruvida LED-belysning skulle ha en mindre ekologisk påverkan på fladdermöss är ännu inte klarlagt. Däremot finns det många åtgärder som kan sättas in för att reducera den ekologiska påverkan som ljusföroreningar har på fladdermöss och andra nattaktiva djur. / Light pollution is a rapidly growing problem and since bats often are nocturnal, they appear to be one of the taxa that is most affected. LED-lighting is becoming more common in street lighting, and it emits less UV light than traditional mercury lights, altering insect and potentially bat behavior. Thus, it is relevant to investigate LED-lighting compared to traditional light sources, in terms of the ecological impact. Owing to a large-scale switch to LED-lighting in Karlstad Municipality in 2019, there was an opportunity to compare the impact of different light sources on bats. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the switch to LEDs from traditional light sources could have a lower impact on bats in Karlstad, and to test if there were differences among species. The data in this study was based on observations from “Fyndkartor” at “Artportalen”, map layers from the PREBAT modeling software, and a map layer of the municipality’s street lighting. Consideration has been given to food supply, the distance to- and the amount of roosting sites, as estimated by the PREBAT model. The study found a significant mean difference of ca. 20% less distance to lighting between years before and after LED light installation. Each one of the four bat species had a lower distance to LED-lighting, compared to traditional lighting, but these differences were not significant. No significant difference was found among species, even though the more opportunistic species had a lower distance to each one of the light sources, as has been found in other studies. Furthermore, the distance to, or amount of, roosting sites could not explain why bats had a lower distance to LED-lighting, since the bats did not show a “preference” to LED that was statistically significant. This study is in line with previous research that confirms that artificial lighting has an impact on bats, but whether LED-lighting has a lower impact than other light sources still remains unclear. There are, however, many measures to be taken to reduce the ecological impacts that light pollution has on bats and other nocturnal animals.

Population structure, biogeography and phylogenetic relationships of the fruit bat genus Rousettus have been studied in Africa and adjacent regions. The current population patterns of rousettine fruit bats in the Old World are influenced by several environmental attributes, namely the topography, climate and land cover. These variables are mirrored in fruit bat plesiomorphies related to the ecological niche of tropical flying frugivore, as well as apomorphies of rousettines including echolocation ability, roosting in caves and dispersal capacity in open landscapes with discontinuous tree cover. Phylogenetic relationships among species and subspecies of the genus have been indicated and confronted with the existing colonization scenarios. Insular populations (including habitat islands within desert oases) show frequent genetic differentiation from their mainland relatives suggesting successful founder events after traversing stretches of unsuitable habitats. Genetic differentiation evolving in less distant islands suggests involving behavioural mechanisms maintaining cohesion of isolated demes as site fidelity and natal habitat-biased dispersal. In sub-Saharan mainland Africa within the large range reaching from the southern border of Sahara to Cape Peninsula, Rousettus populations share a...

Artificial brightness of the night sky caused by the backscatter of artificial light in the atmosphere is a consequence of ongoing urbanization. Skyglow covers 88 % of Europe’s surface and poses significant threats to biodiversity. Extensive research on responses of bats to direct light pollution already revealed significant impacts. However, evidence for the influence of skyglow is scarce. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of skyglow on bat activity patterns, namely Pipistrellus pygmaeus and Myotis species, in a rural area outside of Stockholm, Sweden. Additionally, the analysis includes the role of local habitat structures and landscape composition at multiple scales for both activity rate and timing of emergence.The two focal species showed diverging behaviour in their main habitat on the local scale. While Myotis spp. emergence was delayed by about half an hour above the water surface, P. pygmaeus appeared about 20 minutes earlier in forest edges under brighter night skies. Landscape-level skyglow significantly delays the emergence of Myotis spp. above water surfaces by 18 minutes, but P. pygmaeus did not respond to skyglow at the landscape-level. Both, Myotis species and P. pygmaeus, appeared earlier in forest edges than above water surfaces. Evidence on skyglow affecting bat activity rates was weak. Here, local habitat and landscape structure were more important for both species. The total length of all forest edges decreased bat activity at most scales, while activity was lower with the proportion of water and open land at different scales. In conclusion, bat conservation programmes need to consider the effect of skyglow as well as landscape characteristics.