The Effect of White Nose Syndrome on New York’s Bat Population
The 2022 Macaulay Honors College Bioblitz, allowed us the opportunity to participate in citizen science. While exploring Randalls island the Bat research scientists inspired great interest in the role bats play in New York’s ecosystem and how the threat of White Nose syndrome is affecting them. “White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease that affects hibernating bats and is caused by a fungus known as “PD”. It attacks the bare skin of bats while they’re hibernating in a relatively inactive state. As it grows, Pd causes changes in bats that make them become more active than usual and burn up fat they need to survive the winter. Since its discovery in 2007 WNS has been causing significant decline in the bat population. Our research looks at how New York has been affected by such and the quantitative effects of the disease.