Flagstaff, Arizona – Scientists have long suspected that Mexico’s long-nosed bats will travel through southeastern Arizona, but without capturing and measuring night-flying creatures, the evidence is elusive It was.
Researchers say there is a way to communicate endangered species separately from other bats by analyzing saliva. They say nocturnal mammals are leaving behind as they sipped nectar from plants and home hummingride feeders.
Chris Galloway / Horise Line Photo / Via Bat Conservation International AP
BAT Conservation International, a group of nonprofits working to end the extinction of bat species around the world, has worked with residents of the Saliva Swab Campaign in southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico and West Texas.
Saliva samples that left along potential travel routes were sent to the lab at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. There, researchers searched for environmental DNA (Edna), and bats circulated through Arizona, deeming the area a part-time home.
Mexico’s long-nosed bat has been listed as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Species Act since 1988, and is the only one in Arizona with its federal protection. It is an important species for pollinating cacti, agaves and other desert plants.
US Fish and Wildlife Service and Arizona Games and Fish Families officials announced their discoveries in late January. While expanding the list of Arizona bat species to 29 is exciting, wildlife managers say that using non-invasive methods to use the novel’s use is also worthy of celebration.
Chris Galloway / Horise Line Photo / Via Bat Conservation International AP
“If you were trying to identify a species in Edna’s absence, biologists could spend hours trying to catch one of these bats. Still, it’s not guaranteed to succeed,” Arizona’s For the game and fish department. “By sampling the environment, Edna provides additional tools to the toolkit.”
Every spring, Mexican long-nosed bats cross the long path of travel from Mexico to the southwest of the United States, following the sweet nectar of their favorite blooming plants, like breadcrumbs. They return along the same route in the fall.
The BAT Conservation group recruited ordinary citizens for the mission and gave them kits to wipe samples from bird feeders from summer and fall.
In the university’s laboratory, Microbiology major Anna Riley extracted DNA from hundreds of samples and eventually ran through machines that could detect bat presence. Part of the work involved stable hands, and Riley used some kind of syringe to transfer the diluted DNA into a small vial before placing it in a centrifuge.
The post-sample sample, post-sample vial, and detailed work took several months.
“We have a large database with DNA sequences for most species, not all animals, so we can compare the DNA sequences we get from these samples with those in the database,” Riley said. “It’s like a Google search. I have a question. Ask Google and connect to the database.
Conservation group Kristen Leah suggested that the group try it out with bats as Edna’s collection is well used to determine the presence of other types of wildlife in various environments.
“They obviously spit a lot on these plants and hummingbird feeders,” Leah said.
