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From the bloodcurdling powers of Count Dracula to the identity behind one of America's most famous superheroes, bats have long evoked fear and fascination. But Bryce Donaghue M.S. '26 encourages people to approach bats in a new way—with curiosity and appreciation.

As a William & Mary graduate student in biology, Donaghue studies how the vegetation beneath solar farms can attract insects—and, in turn, provide valuable hunting grounds for bats. His goal is to show that renewable energy sites can double as thriving wildlife habitats, supporting species that are increasingly at risk.

"Bats get an undeserved bad rap, but they're really quite fascinating and extremely beneficial to humans," said Donaghue. "Few people know just how important they are."

That importance is measured in billions of dollars. One suggested that the extinction of bats in North America could lead to agricultural losses of more than $3.7 billion/year. Why? In a word, bats are one of the most potent pesticides.

While softly gliding through the night, they hunt down and gobble up a staggering quantity of bugs. Uneaten, these pesky little insects would go on to plague farmers and necessitate more pesticides. One noted that a maternity colony of about one million Mexican free-tailed bats is capable of eating 8.4 metric tons of insects in a single night.

But even as bats provide immense ecological and economic benefits, they face a serious threat. A disease called white-nose syndrome, triggered by the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is causing bat populations to plummet. Infection causes a white fuzz that forms on bats' muzzles and wings, the namesake of the malady.

"This fungus invades bats while they hibernate and causes tissue damage, dehydration and a breakdown of important physiological processes," Donaghue said. "It was introduced to North America in 2006 and has wreaked havoc ever since, killing millions of bats. White-nose syndrome makes it even more important to understand bat ecology and develop ways to help them thrive."

Donaghue hopes his current research at William & Mary can contribute to the fight for bats.

Bringing biodiversity to solar farms

Donaghue came up with the idea for his research project while brainstorming with his graduate mentor, Doug DeBerry, research assistant professor of environment & sustainability at William & Mary.

An expert on all things vegetation, DeBerry is interested in the ecological impact of cultivating pollinator species—plants that support butterflies, bees and other pollinators—on solar panel farms.

"When solar energy first became popular, the conventional way to manage the land was to completely clear-cut everything, compact the soil and cover it up with turf grass. So it becomes one giant lawn," explained Donaghue. "Doug and I are asking the question: What if we can make these solar panels not just a win for the environment energetically, but a win for the local flora and fauna?"

By planting pollinator species beneath the solar panels, Donaghue and DeBerry hope to bring back the biodiversity of butterflies, bees and other insects that live symbiotically with these plants. Their work ties into a statewide movement called the Virginia Pollinator-Smart Program. Started in 2019, this initiative seeks to incentivize solar developers to incorporate this pollinator habitat into their land.

"The goal is to create a thriving ecosystem on the solar fields," said Donaghue. "But the benefits of this approach are still being researched and demonstrated, which is where my work comes in."

Echoes in the night

Studying a mix of eight solar sites with and without pollinator species, Donaghue hopes to uncover a link between the introduction of these plants, an increase in pollinator activity and the presence of bats.

Over the summer, he set up devices to detect bat echolocation on each of the sites—gathering over 70,000 sound files between May and August. Each bat species creates a unique echolocation signature, which can then be identified by comparing the soundbites with a library of known bats.

Now comes the not-so-glamorous side of research—slogging through each file to ensure that it's captured a bat and then figuring out the species.

"I'm still in the early days of my analysis, but preliminary data indicates more activity at the pollinator habitats, which is pretty exciting," said Donaghue. "If this turns out to be true, we have more evidence to support the planting of pollinator species on solar farms and evidence that these sites are attractive hunting grounds for bats."

When asked why he does this research, Donaghue has a simple response.

"We need to support wildlife as much as we can, especially species that don't get as much positive attention in the public eye. Bats need a voice, just like everybody else," he said thoughtfully. "If I don't make the effort to research and understand them and to take care of their habitats, who will?"