Research Scientists and Post-Doctoral Staff
Ronny Eidels-Shimonny
Post-Doctoral Scientist, Center for North American Bat Research and Conservation
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Bat conservation; Pesticide effects on bats
Phone: (812) 237-8298
E-mail: reidelsshim@mymail.indstate.edu
Office: Science Building 343
Research Interests: bat biology, environmental effects of toxins, toxic substances.
My interests focus on the sub-lethal health effects of environmental pollutants on bats in Indiana, with an emphasis on cholinesterase inhibiting insecticides (organophosphates and carbamates). Research and censuses constantly show that bats in Indiana are declining. The reasons for those declines are not completely determined. Since Indiana is mainly an agricultural state there is a vast use of insecticides going on. The food habits of insectivorous bats make them susceptible to insecticide effects, especially the most commonly used cholinesterase inhibitors. Those insecticides are not selective and may affect other animal species as well. My goal is to determine how extensive and harmful this exposure is in order to understand the environmental implications of those chemicals. This information can influence management decisions for bats as well as for other animal species.
