The genome sequence of (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Stenodermatinae; Olfers, 1818).

We present a genome assembly from an individual male (Chordata; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Phyllostomidae). The genome sequence is 2.15 in span.

The genome sequence of (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae, Glossophaginae; Merriam, 1898).

We present a genome assembly from an individual female (Chordata; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Phyllostomidae). The genome sequence is 2.13 in span.

The genome sequence of González-Ruiz, Ramírez-Pulido and Arroyo-Cabrales, 2011 (Chiroptera, Molossidae).

We present a genome assembly from an individual female (Chordata; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Molossidae). The genome sequence is 2.490 Gb in span.

Integrative single-cell characterization of a frugivorous and an insectivorous bat kidney and pancreas.

Frugivory evolved multiple times in mammals, including bats. However, the cellular and molecular components driving it remain largely unknown. Here, we use integrative single-cell sequencing (scRNA-seq and scATAC-seq) on insectivorous (Eptesicus fuscus; big brown bat) and frugivorous (Artibeus jamaicensis; Jamaican fruit bat) bat kidneys and pancreases and identify key cell population, gene expression and regulatory differences associated with the Jamaican fruit bat that also relate to human disease, particularly diabetes.

The genome sequence of (Chiroptera, Molossidae; Miller, 1902).

We present a genome assembly from an individual male (Chordata; Mammalia; Chiroptera; Molossidae). The genome sequence is 2.41 gigabases in span.

Integrative single-cell characterization of frugivory adaptations in the bat kidney and pancreas.

Frugivory evolved multiple times in mammals, including bats. However, the cellular and molecular components driving it remain largely unknown. Here, we used integrative single-cell sequencing on insectivorous and frugivorous bat kidneys and pancreases and identified key cell population, gene expression and regulatory element differences associated with frugivorous adaptation that also relate to human disease, particularly diabetes.

An Environmental DNA Primer for Microbial and Restoration Ecology.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) sequencing-DNA collected from the environment from living cells or shed DNA-was first developed for working with microbes and has greatly benefitted microbial ecologists for decades since. These tools have only become increasingly powerful with the advent of metabarcoding and metagenomics. Most new studies that examine diverse assemblages of bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses lean heavily into eDNA using these newer technologies, as the necessary sequencing technology and bioinformatic tools have become increasingly affordable and user friendly.

Cascading effects of habitat loss on ectoparasite-associated bacterial microbiomes.

Suitable habitat fragment size, isolation, and distance from a source are important variables influencing community composition of plants and animals, but the role of these environmental factors in determining composition and variation of host-associated microbial communities is poorly known. In parasite-associated microbial communities, it is hypothesized that evolution and ecology of an arthropod parasite will influence its microbiome more than broader environmental factors, but this hypothesis has not been extensively tested. To examine the influence of the broader environment on the parasite microbiome, we applied high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of 16S rRNA to characterize the microbiome of 222 obligate ectoparasitic bat flies (Streblidae and Nycteribiidae) collected from 155 bats (representing six species) from ten habitat fragments in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil.

You are more than what you eat: potentially adaptive enrichment of microbiome functions across bat dietary niches.

Background: Animals evolved in a microbial world, and their gut microbial symbionts have played a role in their ecological diversification. While many recent studies report patterns of phylosymbiosis between hosts and their gut bacteria, fewer studies examine the potentially adaptive functional contributions of these microbes to the dietary habits of their hosts. In this study, we examined predicted metabolic pathways in the gut bacteria of more than 500 individual bats belonging to 60 species and compare the enrichment of these functions across hosts with distinct dietary ecologies.

Differential effects of elevated nest temperature and parasitism on the gut microbiota of wild avian hosts.

Background: Changes in wild animal gut microbiotas may influence host health and fitness. While many studies have shown correlations between gut microbiota structure and external factors, few studies demonstrate causal links between environmental variables and microbiota shifts. Here, we use a fully factorial experiment to test the effects of elevated ambient temperature and natural nest parasitism by nest flies (Protocalliphora sialia) on the gut microbiotas of two species of wild birds, the eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis) and the tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor).

Molecular diet analysis of neotropical bats based on fecal DNA metabarcoding.

Bat communities in the Neotropics are some of the most speciose assemblages of mammals on Earth, with regions supporting more than 100 sympatric species with diverse feeding ecologies. Because bats are small, nocturnal, and volant, it is difficult to directly observe their feeding habits, which has resulted in their classification into broadly defined dietary guilds (e.g.

16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing of Urban Prokaryotic Communities in the South Bronx River Estuary.

Biodiversity monitoring is an essential component of restoration efforts. We sequenced 16S rRNA gene amplicons from sediments and waters of Hunts Point Riverside Park and Soundview Park, located in a historically degraded but recovering urban estuary in New York. In total, 16,165 unique amplicon sequence variants were recovered, and was the dominant phylum.

Habitat fragmentation is associated with dietary shifts and microbiota variability in common vampire bats.

Host ecological factors and external environmental factors are known to influence the structure of gut microbial communities, but few studies have examined the impacts of environmental changes on microbiotas in free-ranging animals. Rapid land-use change has the potential to shift gut microbial communities in wildlife through exposure to novel bacteria and/or by changing the availability or quality of local food resources. The consequences of such changes to host health and fitness remain unknown and may have important implications for pathogen spillover between humans and wildlife.

Bats Are an Untapped System for Understanding Microbiome Evolution in Mammals.

Mammals evolved in a microbial world, and consequently, microbial symbionts have played a role in their evolution. An exciting new subdiscipline of metagenomics considers the ways in which microbes, particularly those found in the gut, have facilitated the ecological and phylogenetic radiation of mammals. However, the vast majority of such studies focus on domestic animals, laboratory models, or charismatic megafauna (e.

The Antifungal Properties of Epidermal Fatty Acid Esters: Insights from White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in Bats.

Numerous free fatty acids (FFAs) are known to have potent antifungal effects. The mammalian epidermis contains both FFAs and multiple classes of fatty acid esters, including 1-monoacylglycerols and wax esters. We thus hypothesized that wax esters and 1-monoacylglycerols composed of antifungal fatty acids would also have antifungal properties.

Comparing Microbiome Sampling Methods in a Wild Mammal: Fecal and Intestinal Samples Record Different Signals of Host Ecology, Evolution.

The gut microbiome is a community of host-associated symbiotic microbes that fulfills multiple key roles in host metabolism, immune function, and tissue development. Given the ability of the microbiome to impact host fitness, there is increasing interest in studying the microbiome of wild animals to better understand these communities in the context of host ecology and evolution. Human microbiome research protocols are well established, but wildlife microbiome research is still a developing field.

The effects of epidermal fatty acid profiles, 1-oleoglycerol, and triacylglycerols on the susceptibility of hibernating bats to Pseudogymnoascus destructans.

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) greatly increases the over-winter mortality of little brown (Myotis lucifugus), Indiana (M. sodalis), northern (M. septentrionalis), and tricolored (Perimyotis subflavus) bats, and is caused by cutaneous infections with Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd).

The Effects of Cutaneous Fatty Acids on the Growth of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Etiological Agent of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS).

White Nose Syndrome (WNS) greatly increases the over-winter mortality of little brown (Myotis lucifugus), Indiana (Myotis sodalis), northern (Myotis septentrionalis), and tricolored (Perimyotis subflavus) bats. It is caused by a cutaneous infection with the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd). Big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) are much more resistant to cutaneous infection with Pd, however.