Biology & Sustainability

Event Title

Cave Crickets Have No Evidence of Carrying the Fungus That Causes White-Nose Syndrome in Bats from Small Caves in the Cumberland Plateau

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Location

Indianapolis, IN

Subject Area

Biology & Sustainability

Start Date

11-4-2014 8:30 AM

End Date

11-4-2014 9:30 AM

Description

We report absence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, reputed fungal agent of white-nose syndrome in bats, in surveys of fungal components and percentage composition of cave crickets Hadenoecus (at least in the caves we sampled). This survey was done to test the hypothesis that cave crickets may carry P. destructans based on observations that P. destructans has recently been found to be a regular cave inhabitant in soil in caves with or without bats, and crickets and bats are in close proximity by occupying similar sites on cave ceilings and bells. This survey included crickets that differed by the extent that they travel outside for foraging, to examine how their movements and ability to function outside impact the fungi they carry. Incubation conditions for fungus culturing were 12oC and darkness, consistent with cave conditions and psychrophilic nature of P. destructans, on three different agar media. Ability to function was inferred by determining water balance characteristics. H. cumberlandicus (Kentucky) featured a slow water loss rate, low cuticular permeability, and a large fungus load; thus, they can function outside the cave longer and are exposed to more fungal spores in their foraging habitat. Higher water loss rates, larger cuticular permeabilities, and lower fungal loads characterized H. opilionoides (Tennessee) and H. jonesi (Alabama) that are more cave-adapted, seldom venturing out, thereby coating themselves with less fungi, because they are more prone to desiccation. There was little difference in Simpson index of fungal components, with all crickets having similar fungal composition: dominated by probiotic Aspergillus and Penicillium, and smaller amounts of Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor and Rhizopus. We conclude that the role of cricket fungi, with large proportion of probiotic fungi, is to protect them from potential pathogens and there is extra protection for crickets that venture outside more frequently.

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Apr 11th, 8:30 AM Apr 11th, 9:30 AM

Cave Crickets Have No Evidence of Carrying the Fungus That Causes White-Nose Syndrome in Bats from Small Caves in the Cumberland Plateau

Indianapolis, IN

We report absence of Pseudogymnoascus destructans, reputed fungal agent of white-nose syndrome in bats, in surveys of fungal components and percentage composition of cave crickets Hadenoecus (at least in the caves we sampled). This survey was done to test the hypothesis that cave crickets may carry P. destructans based on observations that P. destructans has recently been found to be a regular cave inhabitant in soil in caves with or without bats, and crickets and bats are in close proximity by occupying similar sites on cave ceilings and bells. This survey included crickets that differed by the extent that they travel outside for foraging, to examine how their movements and ability to function outside impact the fungi they carry. Incubation conditions for fungus culturing were 12oC and darkness, consistent with cave conditions and psychrophilic nature of P. destructans, on three different agar media. Ability to function was inferred by determining water balance characteristics. H. cumberlandicus (Kentucky) featured a slow water loss rate, low cuticular permeability, and a large fungus load; thus, they can function outside the cave longer and are exposed to more fungal spores in their foraging habitat. Higher water loss rates, larger cuticular permeabilities, and lower fungal loads characterized H. opilionoides (Tennessee) and H. jonesi (Alabama) that are more cave-adapted, seldom venturing out, thereby coating themselves with less fungi, because they are more prone to desiccation. There was little difference in Simpson index of fungal components, with all crickets having similar fungal composition: dominated by probiotic Aspergillus and Penicillium, and smaller amounts of Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor and Rhizopus. We conclude that the role of cricket fungi, with large proportion of probiotic fungi, is to protect them from potential pathogens and there is extra protection for crickets that venture outside more frequently.