SynthesisConservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology2026
Impacts of bat use of anthropogenic structures on bats and humans.
Synthesis in Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impacts of bat use of anthropogenic structures on bats and humans.Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology · 2026Pooled it
- Neotropical bats as sentinels for emerging zoonoses in Central America: A case study identifying Trypanosoma cruzi in bats from Belize using metagenomic next-generation sequencing.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Staphylococcus aureus, including MRSA and PVL-positive isolates, in Egyptian fruit bats.BMC veterinary research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Human-induced landscape modifications and climate change are forcing wildlife into closer contact with humans as the availability of natural habitats decreases. Although the importance of anthropogenic structures for the conservation of species is widely recognized, negative narratives surrounding bats may impede conservation efforts in human-dominated landscapes. We conducted a global systematic literature review to summarize research pertaining to bats in anthropogenic structures and analyze the impacts of occupancy of these structures on bats and humans. We extracted data from 735 publications and included 8 that provided a total of 29 quantitative estimates in meta-analyses assessing the consequences of roost selection by bats in anthropogenic and natural habitats. Additionally, information from all 735 publications was used for summaries. Research focused on the Northern Hemisphere, despite the highest diversity of bat species occurring near the equator. Of the 13 identified impacts on bats from the use of anthropogenic structures, disturbance (caused by, e.g., visitation, renovations, artificial lighting) was the most frequently reported. Effects of bat presence on humans were primarily associated with pathogens or other microorganisms of zoonotic interest. Buildings were the most frequently identified anthropogenic roost, and the use of buildings differed across biogeographic realms. Although impacts varied across realms and structures, the Nearctic and Palearctic had the highest incidence of impacts. Few studies compared anthropogenic roosts with natural roosts, but our meta-analyses broadly identified differences in the effects of artificial versus natural roosts on bat behavior, roost temperature, and bat health and occupancy. We found that research is not focused currently on areas where bat-human interactions are most likely to intensify with the growing rate of urbanization. Although many effects on bats from roosting in anthropogenic structures were documented or mentioned, most studies did not measure these effects and few compared them with natural roosts. Quantifying impacts could help in the design of management practices that would benefit bats and humans.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.