Progress 08/27/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:This project resulted in a high quality experiential learning experience for an undergraduate student. New data were generated as part of an undergraduate Honor's thesis, and was followed-up by mentoring which resulted in a first-author publication for the undergraduate student. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A femaleundergraduate student received training in research design, analytical chemistry, scientific writing, and the publication process. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Unfortunately when the results of this study became available the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the undergraduate student from attending regional student and outreach conferences that otherwise would have been appropriate venues to share these results. As these results are now in the published literature the results are available to communities of interest that seek out the information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
We sought to describe contaminant concentrations that can affect bat health in the Finger Lakes, New York, an important region for agricultural production. The project PI designed the project to quantify methylmercury concentrations in Finger Lakes bats from agricultural, urban, and forested sites in the Finger Lakes. The project PI trained an undergraduate student in trace metal analyses, data analyses, and scientific writing. The main results showed that bat trophic position differed depending on their association with agricultural vs. urban vs. forested lands. This difference in food web structure affected bat methylmercury trends, namely, bats from agricultural and urban lands had higher mercury concentrations compared to forested lands. Larger sample sizes are needed to confirm whether this trend is statistically significant. Stable isotopes of carbon showed that bats from agricultural lands exploited a large range of carbon sources, further supporting their function as predators of insects for a variety of agricultural crops. Ultimately, 16% of bats sampled in our study exceed concentrations considered of concern to bat health, suggesting that a small, but nevertheless important, proportion of bats from the Finger Lakes are exposed to elevated concentrations of a potent neurotoxicant. 1. We completed measurements of present-day concentrations of Hg in bats in Finger Lakes counties for which Hg concentrations in stream and lake biota have already been established. 38 bats received from the NYSDOH were analyzed for total mercury and 25 bats were analyzed for methylmercury. Stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen on 38 individuals were used to assess bat diet and trophic position. Statistical analyses included assessment of morphometric variables, sex, and land use type on mercury concentrations and trophic position. The mercury study resulted in the successful completion of an undergraduate student Honor's thesis. Neonicotinoid analyses were not possible due to the prohibitive costs of analyses. 2. We were not able to complete this objective as historical samples were not possible to access during the COVID-19 pandemic. ?
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2021
Citation:
Webster AM, Cleckner LB, Razavi NR (2021) Mercury Concentrations in Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus) of the Finger Lakes Region, New York. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 81:114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-021-00839-x
|
Progress 08/27/20 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Target Audience:Individuals: training an undergraduate student in chemical analyses, data analyses, and writing through an Honor's thesis Effort: the instruction of the Honor's thesis student is an example of an experiential learning opportunity. Changes/Problems:Unfortunately, we were not able to analyze samples for neonicotinoid analyses due to the exorbitant costs of these analyses. We pursued several options for these analyses but the best quote we got was for $600/sample, and we determined that the sample size would be so small (<10 samples) that we would not be able to publish these results. So we decided to supplement our mercury samples with methylmercury analyses which allowed us to generate publishable data. The COVID-19 pandemic also disrupted our plans to analyze an archive of bat samples located at Cornell University. Campus access was closed to non-Cornell personnel throughout the pandemic. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided training of an undergraduate student in chemical analyses, data analyses, and writing through an Honor's thesis. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The Honor's thesis was shared with researchers at SUNY ESF, and stakeholders at the NYSDOH, NYSDEC, and with the Finger Lakes Institute at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?To increase the dissemination of these results, we intend to submit this manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Impact statement: Bats are among the most threatened terrestrial vertebrates in North America. In the northeastern US, millions of bats have died from the widespread occurrence of the fungal pathogen responsible for white-nose syndrome, and increasingly thousands of migratory species are dying from collisions with wind energy structures. Bats have also experienced widespread habitat loss and are exposed to many chemical pollutants at chronic exposures levels. In New York State, bats have experienced large population declines, and several species are now listed as special concern (Small-footed Bat, Myotis leibii), threatened (Northern Long-eared Bat, Myotis septentrionalis) and endangered (Indiana Bat, Myotis sodalis). The threats faced by bats can have broader ecosystem implications that should be of grave concern to society. Bats are key in the control of insects in forests, consuming 25-100% of their body weight per night, depending on the species, sex, and reproductive stage of the animal. Many bat species have varied diets made up of arthropods such as the coleopterans (beetles), lepidopterans (moths), homopterans (cicadas and leaf hoppers), dipterans (flies), and hymenopterans (sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants). The consumption of mosquitoes, a human pest and vector of disease, is widely assumed and has been demonstrated quantitatively for the Northern Long-eared bat. Winemakers have realized the importance of bats to pest control and research is ongoing to promote favorable habitat for bats. Bats therefore provide key 'ecosystem services' (defined as a service important to the needs of man; Millennium Ecosystem Assessment 2003), by curtailing insects in forests and agricultural systems important to the provisions of products for human consumption. Progress on goals: We sought to describe contaminant concentrations that can affect bat health in the Finger Lakes, New York, an important region for agricultural production. The project PI designed the project to quantify methylmercury concentrations in Finger Lakes bats from agricultural, urban, and forested sites in the Finger Lakes. The project PI trained an undergraduate student in trace metal analyses, data analyses, and scientific writing. The main results showed that bat trophic position differed depending on their association with agricultural vs. urban vs. forested lands. This difference in food web structure affected bat methylmercury trends, namely, bats from agricultural and urban lands had higher mercury concentrations compared to forested lands. Larger sample sizes are needed to confirm whether this trend is statistically significant. Stable isotopes of carbon showed that bats from agricultural lands exploited a large range of carbon sources, further supporting their function as predators of insects for a variety of agricultural crops. Ultimately, 16% of bats sampled in our study exceed concentrations considered of concern to bat health, suggesting that a small, but nevertheless important, proportion of bats from the Finger Lakes are exposed to elevated concentrations of a potent neurotoxicant. 1. We completed measurements of present-day concentrations of Hg in bats in Finger Lakes counties for which Hg concentrations in stream and lake biota have already been established. 38 bats received from the NYSDOH were analyzed for total mercury and 25 bats were analyzed for methylmercury. Stable isotope analyses of carbon and nitrogen on 38 individuals were used to assess bat diet and trophic position. Statistical analyses included assessment of morphometric variables, sex, and land use type on mercury concentrations and trophic position. The mercury study resulted in the successful completion of an undergraduate student Honor's thesis. Neonicotinoid analyses were not possible due to the prohibitive costs of analyses. 2. We were not able to complete this objective as historical samples were not possible to access during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publications
- Type:
Other
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2020
Citation:
ESF Department of Biology Honors thesis (December 2019) Analyzing mercury in big brown bats of the Finger Lakes region, New York. Undergraduate student, Abby Webster. Major Professor, PI Roxanne Razavi.
|