AP Environmental Science 8.15: Human Pathogens

Read the following article from the Fremont New Tribune.

Fremont New Tribune

May 2, 2016

As another winter concludes, biologists are alarmed by the continued spread of white nose syndrome (WNS) in bats. WNS is a fungal disease that is decimating bat populations across eastern North American forests, with mortality rates reaching up to 100 percent at many sites. WNS has been found in at least 25 states in the United States and 5 Canadian provinces.

The fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) grows well in cool conditions such as those found in caves and has been observed as white patches on the muzzles, noses, ears, and wings of many cave-dwelling bats. WNS has caused significant population declines for several bat species, including once-numerous species such as the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus).

Little brown bats hunt using echolocation by emitting up to 200 high-frequency calls per second when pursuing their prey. When healthy, the little brown bat can live up to ten years and have one or two offspring (called pups) each year.
"Little brown bats provide tremendous value to the United States economy every year by the essential services they provide to farmers and other people. We need to understand how this deadly disease spreads and attempt to help reduce its impact on the little brown bat and other bat species," said Dr. Duke Serach of the Fremont office of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Dr. Serach concluded with, "It may yet be possible to save the little brown bats, but the remaining population will be alarmingly small."

Provide a likely reason for the increase in emerging infectious diseases affecting human populations. Include an explanation for the reason you provided.