WELCOME TO THE FRICK LAB OF BAT ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
Discovering patterns and processes of ecological interactions is fundamental for understanding and protecting the natural world. Our work investigates species interactions at multiple scales and in different ecological contexts with the goal of discovering ecological dynamics that improve our ability to conserve biodiversity. Most of our research focuses on bats, which make up a quarter of all mammalian diversity. We explore many different research topics, including studying the impacts of disease on bat populations, investigating how global change affects bat populations, and studying bat-plant interactions in the Sonoran desert.
WILDLIFE DISEASE
We study the disease dynamics and impacts of white-nose syndrome (WNS), an infectious fungal disease that has killed millions of hibernating bats in North America since 2006.
ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION
Our lab assesses the ecology and conservation of bats and the impacts of global change on bat populations.
White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emergent disease of hibernating bats that has spread from the northeastern to the central United States at an alarming rate. White-nose syndrome is caused by a fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, that infects skin of the muzzle, ears, and wings of hibernating bats.