I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise. We’re warned all the time about the possibility that various diseases can be spread in close, confined quarters like airplanes which have less than ideal air circulation and filtration.

But scientists are now saying the same applies to bat colonies that have been wiped out by the white-nose syndrome, a fungal condition that has killed millions of bats in recent years.

A story today on Smithsonian.com reports that a study in the journal “Ecology Letters” discusses findings that show the most social bats, those that hibernate in big colonies, are those most stricken by the disease. Solitary hibernators are less affected. One species: the little brown bat, changed its behavior to “ensure a greater survival rate. Read more: WNS Kills Social Bats Most.