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Data from: Bat trait, genetic and pathogen data from large-scale investigations of African fruit bats (Eidolon helvum)

Cite this dataset

Peel, Alison J. et al. (2017). Data from: Bat trait, genetic and pathogen data from large-scale investigations of African fruit bats (Eidolon helvum) [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.2fp34

Abstract

Bats, including African straw-coloured fruit bats (Eidolon helvum), have been highlighted as reservoirs of many recently emerged zoonotic viruses. This common, widespread and ecologically important species was the focus of longitudinal and continent-wide studies of the epidemiological and ecology of Lagos bat virus, henipaviruses and Achimota viruses. Here we present a spatial, morphological, demographic, genetic and serological dataset encompassing 2827 bats from nine countries over an 8-year period. Genetic data comprises cytochrome b mitochondrial sequences (n=608) and microsatellite genotypes from 18 loci (n=544). Tooth-cementum analyses (n=316) provide rare age-specific serologic data for a lyssavirus, a henipavirus and two rubulaviruses. This dataset contributes a substantial volume of data on the ecology of E. helvum and its viruses and will be valuable for a wide range of studies, including viral transmission dynamic modelling in age-structured populations, investigation of seasonal reproductive asynchrony in wide-ranging species, ecological niche modelling, inference of island colonisation history, exploration of relationships between island and body size, and various spatial analyses of demographic, morphometric or serological data.

Usage notes

Location

São Tomé and Príncipe
Malawi
Africa
Tanzania
Uganda
Ghana
Zambia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Kenya
Equatorial Guinea