​Vulnerability of Australian bats to white-nose syndrome

Postdoctoral Research Fellow - Western Sydney University, Australia

Advisors:

Dr Christopher Turbill & A/Prof Justin Welbergen

About:

Australia's unique wildlife is inherently at risk from invasive novel pathogens. White-nose syndrome is an emerging fungal disease that has decimated bat populations across North America. This fungal disease is likely to soon jump continents and also seriously threaten Australia's bat fauna. This project aims to quantify the risk of exposure to this fungus and understand the sensitivity of Australian bat populations to white-nose syndrome mortality. Expected outcomes include spatially-explicit, species-specific models of vulnerability to white-nose syndrome for bat populations across south-eastern Australia, essential for directing actions to prevent, detect and mitigate the impacts of this potentially catastrophic wildlife disease.

Skills: 

Large-scale coordination of partnering organisation, - To learn

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Partner organisations:
Australasian Bat Society Inc; Wildlife Health Australia Incorporated; Taronga Conservation Society Australia; Zoos Victoria, Australian Speleological Federation Incorporated; Department of Environment Land Water and Planning; Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment; Department of Planning Industry and Environment, University of Winnipeg.

Species:

• Eastern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus orianae oceanensis)

• Southern bent-winged bat (Miniopterus orianae bassanii)

• Eastern horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus megaphyllus)

• Large-footed myotis (Myotis macropus)

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