West Yorkshire Bat Group’s Research Team works closely with the Conservation Team to promote
the welfare of bats in West Yorkshire and beyond, through gaining insights into aspects of habitats
which affect bats. At the basic level the research team keeps a watching brief on peer reviewed
work in the global bat research community, focussing on habitat issues, climate influences and
ecotoxicity and the relationship of these factors to the availability and quality of insect food and
water, and the consequences for bat health, disease transmission and immunity.
Specifically, the team is currently collaborating with academic researchers at The Universities of
Exeter, Essex and Cambridge as well as the Quadram Research Institute in Norwich looking into a
‘proof of concept’ for Shotgun DNA analysis using bat faeces. There are 3 good reasons for analysing
genetic material from bat faeces, firstly to identify bat species, secondly to monitor insect
assemblages in the diet, thereby, gaining an insight into habitat suitability and thirdly to analyse the
gut microbiome. The microbial community present in the gut can provide valuable clues into overall
bat health, bioenergetics for flight, reproduction and development and hibernation as well as
disease transmission, microbial antibiotic resistance and immunity. Once we have established the
technique we will have a valuable rapid high-resolution, reliable and cost effective tool which we
intend to roll out across the UK for researching both wild bats as well as rehabilitating-animals in our
West Yorkshire rescue stations.
The research team provides regular meetings and events during the year and welcomes ideas for
research from members or external groups. West Yorkshire Bat Group has actively supported
numerous projects in the past to promote bat welfare.
Academic research coordinator