What can bats tell us about pollution, ecosystems and health?
Suggested lead/intro
From streams to bats: tracking pollutants through ecosystems
Pharmaceutical residues are an increasing environmental concern, especially in aquatic ecosystems. But what happens when pollutants in water move into insects – and then further into animals that feed on them? In this project, researchers are investigating whether bats can help us understand how pharmaceutical pollutants may be transferred from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems, and what this could mean for wildlife, ecosystem health and, ultimately, human health.
The project was awarded seed funding through SLU Future One Health’s 2024 call, making it possible to carry out a pilot study in Sweden and Costa Rica. The aim was to test methods, collect preliminary data and strengthen a larger research application.
In this interview, we meet Natalia Sandoval Herrera, Postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Sciences at SLU – to find out how the project has developed since receiving seed funding from SLU Future One Health in 2024. We ask what the pilot study has made possible, what bats and insects can tell us about pollution moving through ecosystems, and how this research could contribute to better understanding the links between environmental pollution, wildlife health and human health.
- Your project investigates how pharmaceutical pollutants may move from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems through insects and bats. What did you want to understand – and why is this important?
- What did the seed funding from SLU Future One Health make it possible for you to test or develop?
- Why are bats an interesting species to study in this context? What can they help us understand about pollution, food webs and ecosystem health?
- What insights have you gained so far, and what opportunities or challenges do you see ahead?
- Looking a few years ahead, what do you hope this research will have contributed – both scientifically and for our understanding of environmental risks to animals, ecosystems and people?