白鼻综合征是一种广泛分布在美国和加拿大的真菌性疾病，总没有什么好消息。这些真菌会感染蝙蝠的鼻子和翅膀，让它们从冬眠中过早地醒来，然后因为饥饿死去。自从2006年这种疾病在蝙蝠中首次被发现，北美洲东北部地区的数个蝙蝠种群已遭受致命性打击。
不过，日前研究人员发表在《生态学快报》（Ecology Letters）上的一篇报告指出，有一种蝙蝠受白鼻综合征的威胁程度相对较低。通常这种蝙蝠喜欢独自冬眠，而非一般蝙蝠那样聚在一起冬眠。另外，那些在更寒冷、更干燥洞穴冬眠的蝙蝠感染白鼻综合征的比例也比睡在其他地方的蝙蝠更低。
美国加州大学圣克鲁兹分校研究生Kate Langwig领衔的新研究分析了6个蝙蝠种群在遭受真菌袭击之前和之后的相关测量数据，分析结果证实了之前的观点：大棕蝠和东部小足蝙蝠两个蝙蝠种群所受真菌的影响相对较小。但是，印第安纳州蝙蝠——在美国已被列入濒临灭绝动物名单——和其他三种蝙蝠数量急剧下降。
另外，研究显示，由于真菌的感染，还有数个蝙蝠种群消失。虽然原因尚不明确，不过Langwig指出，有可能是因为整个蝙蝠种群达到了一个临界点，少量幸存下来的蝙蝠无法找到伴侣。
研究者们还收集了印第安纳州蝙蝠和小棕蝠的洞穴中温度和湿度的数据。结果发现，那些生活在更冷、更干燥的洞穴中的蝙蝠数量下降较少，这是由于大部分真菌更喜欢生长在湿热的环境中。
尽管如此，相关科学家依然警告说，对于蝙蝠来说，情况仍十分严峻：蝙蝠数量在大量减少，并且野生动物管理者们没有合适的工具帮助这些蝙蝠。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2012.01829.x
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Sociality, density‐dependence and microclimates determine the persistence of populations suffering from a novel fungal disease, white‐\nose syndrome
Kate E. Langwig1,2,*, Winifred F. Frick2, Jason T. Bried3, Alan C. Hicks4, Thomas H. Kunz1, A. Marm Kilpatrick2
Disease has caused striking declines in wildlife and threatens numerous species with extinction. Theory suggests that the ecology and density-dependence of transmission dynamics can determine the probability of disease-caused extinction, but few empirical studies have simultaneously examined multiple factors influencing disease impact. We show, in hibernating bats infected with Geomyces destructans, that impacts of disease on solitary species were lower in smaller populations, whereas in socially gregarious species declines were equally severe in populations spanning four orders of magnitude. However, as these gregarious species declined, we observed decreases in social group size that reduced the likelihood of extinction. In addition, disease impacts in these species increased with humidity and temperature such that the coldest and driest roosts provided initial refuge from disease. These results expand our theoretical framework and provide an empirical basis for determining which host species are likely to be driven extinct while management action is still possible.
