ChiroSurveillance: The Use of Native Bats to Detect the Invasive Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Brooke Maslo1,2*, Rafael Valentin1, Karen Leu1, Kathleen Kerwin1, Amanda Bevan1, George C. Hamilton2,3, Nina H. Fefferman1, and Dina M.
Fonseca1,2,3
1Department of Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
2Rutgers Cooperative Extension, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
3Department of Entomology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Impacts of Invasive Insect Pests to Agriculture
annual economic value of U.S. crop losses by invasive insect pests: $13 billion
annual costs for associated control measures: $500 million
invasive species management strategies evolve with time since introduction
management efficiency decreases over time
Simberloff et al. 2013
Challenges of Monitoring & Surveillance of BMSB
Current BMSB Monitoring Tools
black light trapsaggregation pheromones (MDT)natural pheromones (SSRS, RSRS)
Neilsen et al. 2013
Bats as Agents of Invasive Species Surveillance?
temperate insectivorous bats consume a diverse array of insects
expansive foraging range is ~5km
central place foragers, returning to same roost nightly
easy to sample
bats may be important sentinels if:
1. they identify non-native species as prey2. we can reliably detect non-native species in bat guano (even when pest is rare)
Study Sites
apple/peach orchards withresident maternity colonies of big brown bats, Eptesicus fuscus
Longmeadow Farms (Brad Burke): ~30 bats
2 hectares
Strawberry Hill Farm (Ross Kiesling): ~100 bats
23 hectares
WM Schober Sons (John Schober):~100 bats
121 hectares
Weekly Density of BMSB through Black Light Trap Monitoring
quantified weekly trap counts of BMSB
used inverse distance weighted algorithm to extrapolate statewide BMSB densities
generated weekly maps corresponding to the 7 nights preceding guano collection dates
Dietary Analysis of BatGuano for BMSB
Bat Guano Collection: weekly collection of 100 intact fecal pellets from resident colony of big brown bats; randomly subsampled 16-20 pellets for pooling
Sample Preparationpulverization, DNA extraction
Molecular Analysisquantitative polymerase chain reaction using a BMSB-specific assay targeting the ITS region in the rDNA
Bats Identify & Regularly Consume BMSB
>50% of the pooled guano samples (34/60) tested positive for BMSB
Ct values ranged from 23.7-34.3
positive detections occurred even at low BMSB densities
big brown bats detected BMSB 3-4 weeks earlier than black light traps
Bat Predation of BMSBis Density-Dependent
BUT… bat predation and black light traps occur at different scales
Early Spring: BMSB stage in woodlandsMid-Summer: BMSB adults active in
fieldsLate Summer: BMSB respond to
aggregation pheromones
Significance of Correlation ImprovesWith Data Transformation
Conclusions/Next Steps
Next Steps:
1.Comparison of bat predation with newer pheromones needed to verify the patterns identified here2.Robust economic analyses to determine cost-effectiveness of chirosurveillance3.Can bats be effective agents of control?
Bats as Agents of Invasive Species Surveillance:
1.Big brown bats recognize BMSB as a common prey item across the season2.Density-dependent predatory response3.Bats detected BMSB 3-4 weeks earlier than black light traps4.currently testing chiroSurveillance on tufted apple budmoth, codling moth, and Oriental fruit moth
Acknowledgements
Larry KatzAnne NeilsenGeorge HamiltonDave SchmittDean PolkJohn SchoberBrad BurkeRoss KieslingMike RussoDoug RaceJoe NicholsN.H. FeffermanM. ValentJ.F. GumbsM. Hall
Danielle PodmayerskyBrittany ChransChloe LewisRachael Sacatelli