GRSM_INDIANA_BAT_CRITICAL_HABITAT

This feature service shows the region of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that is considered a critical habitat for the Indiana Bat. The Indiana bat is a medium-sized Myotis, closely resembling the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) but differing in coloration. Its fur is a dull grayish chestnut rather than bronze, with the basal portion of the hairs on the back a dull-lead color. This bat's underparts are pinkish to cinnamon, and its hind feet are smaller and more delicate than in M. lucifugus. The calcar (heel of the foot) is strongly keeled. The Indiana Bat faces threats from white-nose syndrome (WNS), climate change, wind energy development, and habitat loss and fragmentation. White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a devastating disease that threatens the survival of hibernating bats in North America. Since first documented in the winter of 2005/2006, WNS has spread from a very small area of New York across at least two thousand kilometers in 25 states and 4 Canadian provinces. Over five million bats are estimated to have died during the past 7 winters after contact with WNS, and all four federally listed endangered species and subspecies of hibernating cave bats are in harm’s way. The sudden and widespread mortality associated with WNS is completely unprecedented in hibernating bats and it is not anticipated that their populations will recover quickly, if at all. An additional 19 species of hibernating cave bats occur in the United States and, considering available information, all are potentially susceptible. WNS is named for the ubiquitous presence of a newly identified species of cold-loving fungus (Pseudogynmnoascus destructans) that is capable of penetrating and infecting the skin and wing membranes of bats during hibernation. It is critical that research efforts directed toward WNS incorporate the expertise of scientists familiar with the ecology of bats and hibernation physiology. The species historical range included Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia. The corresponding Integration of Resource Management Applications (IRMA) NPS Data Store reference is Great Smoky Mountains National Park Indiana Bat Critical Habitat.本要素服务展示了被认定为印第安蝙蝠（Indiana Bat）关键栖息地的大雾山国家公园区域。印第安蝙蝠是一种中等体型的鼠耳蝠属（Myotis）物种，外形与小棕蝠（Little Brown Bat, Myotis lucifugus）高度相似，但体色存在差异。其皮毛呈暗沉的灰栗色而非古铜色，背部毛发的基部为暗铅色。该蝙蝠的腹面呈粉红色至肉桂色，后足相较于小棕蝠更小且更为纤细，其距（足部跟部）具有明显的龙骨突。印第安蝙蝠面临的威胁包括白鼻综合征（White-Nose Syndrome, WNS）、气候变化、风电开发以及栖息地丧失与碎片化。白鼻综合征是一种毁灭性病害，威胁着北美冬眠蝙蝠的生存。自2005/2006年冬季首次被记录以来，WNS从纽约州极小范围区域扩散至至少2000公里外的25个美国州份与4个加拿大省份。据估算，在过去7个冬季中，已有超过500万只蝙蝠因接触WNS死亡；美国境内所有4种被联邦列为濒危物种的洞穴冬眠蝙蝠及其亚种均受到威胁。与WNS相关的突发性大规模蝙蝠死亡事件在冬眠蝙蝠中史无前例，即便种群能够恢复，其速度也将极为缓慢。美国境内另有19种洞穴冬眠蝙蝠，结合现有资料来看，它们均可能对WNS易感。WNS因在冬眠蝙蝠身上普遍存在一种新发现的嗜冷真菌（Pseudogynmnoascus destructans）而得名，该真菌可在蝙蝠冬眠期间侵入并感染其皮肤与翼膜。针对WNS的研究工作需吸纳熟悉蝙蝠生态学与冬眠生理学的科学家的专业知识，这一点至关重要。该物种的历史分布范围涵盖阿拉巴马州、阿肯色州、康涅狄格州、佐治亚州、伊利诺伊州、印第安纳州、艾奥瓦州、肯塔基州、马里兰州、马萨诸塞州、密歇根州、密西西比州、密苏里州、新泽西州、纽约州、北卡罗来纳州、俄亥俄州、俄克拉荷马州、宾夕法尼亚州、田纳西州、佛蒙特州、弗吉尼亚州与西弗吉尼亚州。对应的资源管理应用集成系统（Integration of Resource Management Applications, IRMA）与美国国家公园管理局（National Park Service, NPS）数据存储的参考标识为“大雾山国家公园印第安蝙蝠关键栖息地”。