BATS - ENVIRONMENT
News: Kerala researchers batting for
better understanding of the flying mammal
What's in the news?
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Recently, researchers from Kerala have training
programs on bat taxonomy, acoustics, and biogeography.
Key takeaways:
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Myth, superstition, and zoonotic diseases such as
Covid-19 and the Nipah virus infection, have created a negative impression of bats.
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The project aims to address the challenges posed by
emerging zoonotic diseases and the ongoing threats faced by bat populations,
including habitat loss and the cutting down of fruit bat roosts.
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Researchers in Kerala are also supporting the
ongoing National Bat Monitoring Programme, which has been running since 1996.
Bats:
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Bats are the largest
mammalian group after rodents, with over 1,300 species making up a quarter
of all mammals.
Habitat:
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They occur on all
continents except Antarctica and are particularly diverse in South Asia,
with 114 species of insect-eating bats and 14 fruit bats, also known as “flying foxes”, occurring in India.
Key Features:
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They roost in large
colonies on trees, tree hollows, caves, rock crevices and abandoned man-made
structures.
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They play a unique role in maintaining ecosystem structure, making a singular contribution to
our food production, economy and well-being.
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They are the only mammals capable of true flight
and have a unique sonar-based
echolocation mechanism to capture prey at night.
Significance:
1. Seed Dispersal:
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The diet of fruit-eating bats consists largely of
flowers and fruits such as mangoes, bananas, guavas, custard apples, figs,
tamarind and many species of forest trees.
2. Pollination:
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Studies have found that bats play a vital role in
pollination, mainly of large-flowered plants, and in crop protection.
3. Production Boost:
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Some large insectivorous bats are also reported to
feed on small rodents.
4. Soil Fertility:
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Bat droppings provide organic input to soil and
facilitate nutrient transfer, contributing to soil fertility and agricultural
productivity.
5. Health Benefits:
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It contributes to human health by reducing
populations of mosquitoes and other insect vectors that spread malaria, dengue,
chikungunya and other diseases.
Why do bats never fall
sick?
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Bats are reservoirs
for viruses, but they never fall sick.
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Flying results in toxic by-products that could
damage cell contents.
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Bats have evolved
mechanisms to avoid such damage by suppressing their immune systems.
Conservation:
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According to the IUCN, about 5 percent of bats are categorised as endangered and another 11 percent
are data deficient.
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Further, some species of fruit bats are categorised
under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1973, along with other vermin species like rats, making it
difficult to legally conserve them.