Science and Tech
A
world with fewer bats around is one that has failed to understand the critical
role they play in ecosystems
·
Bats are the largest mammalian group
after rodents, with over 1,300 species making up a quarter of all mammals.
·
They occur on all continents except
Antarctica and are particularly various in South Asia, with 114 species of
insect-eating bats and fourteen fruit bats, conjointly called “flying foxes”,
occurring in India.
·
They roost in massive colonies on trees,
tree hollows, caves, rock crevices and abandoned manmade structures.
·
They play a unique role in maintaining
ecosystem structure, making a singular contribution to our food production,
economy and well-being.
·
They are the only mammals capable of
true flight and have a singular sonar-based echolocation mechanism to capture
prey at night.
·
Their Significance – Seed dispersion –
The diet of fruit-eating bats consists mostly of flowers and fruits like
mangoes, bananas, guavas, custard apples, figs, tamarind and lots of species of
forest trees.
·
Pollination – Studies have found that
bats play a significant role in pollenation, in the main of large-flowered
plants, and in crop protection.
·
Production boost – Some large
insectivorous bats are also reported to feed on small rodents.
·
Soil fertility – Bat droppings give
organic input to soil and facilitate nutrient transfer, contributive to soil
fertility and agricultural productivity.
·
Health advantages – contribute to human
health by reducing populations of mosquitoes and different insect vectors that
spread malaria, dengue, chikungunya and different diseases.
Why do bats never fall sick?
Bats
are reservoirs for viruses, however they neer fall sick. Flying results in
toxic by-products that would damage cell
contents.
Bats
have evolved mechanisms to avoid such damage by suppressing their immune
systems.
Their
conservation consistent with the IUCN, regarding five per cent of bats are
classified as vulnerable and another eleven per cent are information deficient.
Further,
some species of fruit bats are categorized under Schedule five of the wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1973, along side alternative vermin species like rats,
creating it tough to lawfully conserve them.
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