With more than 1,400 species, bats are an incredibly diverse and successful group of mammals that can serve as model systems for many unique evolutionary adaptations. Flight has allowed them to master the sky, while echolocation enables them to navigate in the dark. Being small, secretive, nocturnal creatures has made bats a challenge to study, but over the past 50 years, innovative research has made it possible to dispel some of the mystery and myth surrounding them to give us a better understanding of the role these animals play in the ecosystem.

The structure of the book is based on several broad themes across the biological sciences, including the evolution of bats, their ecology and behavior, and conservation of biodiversity. Within these themes are more specific topics on important aspects of bat research, such as morphology, molecular biology, echolocation, taxonomy, systematics, threats to bats, social structure, reproduction, movements, and feeding strategies.

Given its scope, the book will appeal to the wider scientific community, environmental organizations, and government policymakers who are interested in the interdisciplinary aspects of biology and nature.

Combines a historical perspective celebrating the 50th anniversary of the North American Society for Bat Research with future directions in bat research for the next half century Includes several chapters authored by the original researchers who set the standard for this field of study 50 years ago One of the few publications that assembles experts across all fields of study to explore the biology of bats Though chiefly intended for researchers with an interest in bats, the general biological topics covered such as evolution, ecology, and conservation have a broader appeal to the scientific and environmental community

Autorentext

Burton Lim is an Assistant Curator of Mammalogy at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada.  Holding a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Toronto, his research interests are in the biodiversity and evolution of mammals with a particular focus on neotropical bats. Burton is currently the chair of the board of directors of the North American Society for Bat Research.

Brock Fenton is a Professor Emeritus at the Department of Biology at Western University.  He received a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Toronto.  His research involves using bats to explore the interfaces between animal behavior, ecology and evolution. Brock is the author or editor of several books, including Bat Bioacoustics with Springer.

Mark Brigham is a Professor of Biology at the Department of Biology, University of Regina. Holding a Ph.D. from York University (1988), his research focuses on the behavior and ecology of bats and nightjars (nocturnal insect-eating birds). He is one of two co-editors of the Canadian Journal of Zoology.

Shahroukh Mistry is an Adjunct Professor of biology at California State University Chico and Professor of biology at Butte College.  He received his Ph.D. in ecology from the University of New Mexico.  His latest research project involves acoustic monitoring of bat diversity and activity in northern California.  Shahroukh is currently an associate program director for the North American Society for Bat Research.

Allen Kurta is a Professor at the Biology Department, Eastern Michigan University.  He received his Ph.D. from Boston University.  His research interests are in the ecology, behavior, and natural history of mammals, with an emphasis on bats.  Al is past chair of the board of directors of the North American Society for Bat Research.

Erin Gillam is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University.  She received her Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 2007.  Dr. Gillam s research focuses on the bioacoustics of bats, including echolocation and social calling. She also has an active research program focused on the conservation of bats in the Northern Great Plains of the United States.

Amy Russell is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biology, Grand Valley State University.  She received a Ph.D. in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Tennessee.  Her research interests lie at the intersection of multiple fields: where phylogenetic and population genetic approaches can inform questions of recent speciation, where coalescent approaches can help to discriminate among biogeographic hypotheses, and where molecular ecology and simulation-based analyses can discriminate among demographic scenarios.

Jorge Ortega is a Professor at the Departamento de Zoología, Instituto Politécnico Nacional in Mexico City.  Holding a Ph.D. in ecology from the Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México, his research interests are in the eco-immunogenetics, behavioral ecology, and molecular biology of bats.  He is the editor of several books, including Sociality in Bats by Springer.

Inhalt
Chapter 1. Introduction and implementation of harp traps signal a new era in bat research.- Chapter 2. Bats as Hosts of Important Unicellular Endoparasites.- Chapter 3. A global review of phylogeographic studies on bats.- Chapter 4. All the Better to Eat You With: The Legacy of James S. Findley's Phenetic Approach to Bat Biology.- Chapter 5. Fur, wings, and flowers: development and progress on nectarivorous bat research in the last 50 years.- Chapter 6. The Winter Worries of Bats: Past and Present Perspectives on Winter Habitat and Management of Cave Hibernating Bats.- Chapter 7. Integrating physiological and behavioral traits with ontogeny, phylogenetic history, and survival and fitness to understand heterothermy in bats.- Chapter 8. Molecular biology in the evolution of bats: a historical perspective.- Chapter 9. Molecular biology in the evolution of bats: a historical perspective.- Chapter 10. The evolution of acoustic methods for the study of bats.- Chapter 11. Bats, Bat Flies, and Fungi: Exploring Uncharted Waters.- Chapter 12. Bats and the Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Resource Spatio-temporal Predictability (STP).- Chapter 13. There and Back Again: Homing in Bats Revisited.- Chapter 14. A NASBR history of radiotelemetryhow technology has contributed to advances in bat biology.- Chapter 15. Bats Flying at High Altitudes.- Chapter 16. Contributions of Women and Creating a Culture of Inclusivity at the North American Society for Bat Research.- Chapter 17. Pioneers of bat habitat and resource selection.- Chapter 18. NASBR Origins 1970-2020: From an Informal Gathering to a Scientific Society.- Chapter 19. The Importance of Water Availability to Bats: Climate Warming and Increasing Global Aridity.- Chapter 20. Bats as reservoirs of viral zoonoses.- Chapter 21. Bats in temperate forests: where are the trends in bat populations?.- Chapter 22. How noise affects bats and what it reveals about their biosonar systems.