Bats

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, many people have begun to show antipathy towards bats, albeit jokingly. However, do you ever think about “what if all bats disappeared?”

Bats have been on Earth for over 50 million years. It is the second largest order of mammals, with more than 1,400 species. Although they are not popular or affectionate animals, we need their existence for the maintenance of the ecosystem. Bats today are under an unprecedented threat from widespread habitat destruction, hunting, climate change, and other stresses. While today 21 bat species are threatened with extinction, 83 bat species are endangered. In recent years, the Mauritius Government slaughtered flying foxes to protect the fruits, and reduced their numbers to 30,000 by ignoring their importance in the maintenance of forest habitat. It is difficult for one person to stop this wrong decision alone, in the face of great powers like a government. Without concerted international action, their populations will continue to decline for different reasons, and many species will disappear.

The environment, health, world. They all connect to each other. It is impossible to think of one of them without another.

What would life be like in a world where bats are extinct?

More than 530 plants require bats to pollinate their flowers. Plants pollinated by bats often have nocturnal flowers. Therefore, there is no animal other than bats to pollinate these plants. Plants such as mango, cocoa, banana, durian, and guava, are the primary plants that this extinction will affect.

As we mentioned before, there are thousands of bat species. Some of these feed on plants, while others feed on insects. Moreover, they play an active role in keeping the number of flies that cause diseases such as Zika and West Nile under control. Although no one appreciates this blessing, if bats went extinct, the infestation of insects will take up all farmland. In a short time, what we see on our table today will disappear one by one. Then, various health problems will start to break out.

In addition to being the only mammal to fly, one in five mammals in the world is a bat. Namely, the extinction of all bats will mean that about 20% of mammals will disappear. It is an undeniable fact that such a huge extinction will affect all living things in the ecosystem, directly or indirectly.

Bats provide a vital link between a cave ecosystem and the environment outside. This link usually forms the basis of the food chain. Bat guano is the only food source for microorganisms and invertebrates living in caves. Feeding on bat guano, these creatures become one of the main food sources for creatures such as fish and salamanders in the later stages of their lives.

As a result, bats that can survive almost anywhere in the world are crucial for sustaining life, even though we do not realize their role in the ecosystem. In a possible extinction scene, they can cause deficiencies in the ecosystem that we cannot replace.

Sources;

1

2

3

4

5

6

7