Synopses & Reviews
There are more than 1,300 species of batsand#151;or almost a quarter of the worldand#8217;s mammal species. But before you shrink in fear from these furry and#147;creatures of the night,and#8221; consider the batand#8217;s fundamental role in our ecosystem. A single brown bat can eat several thousand insects in a night. Bats also pollinate and disperse the seeds for many of the plants we love, from bananas to mangoes and figs.
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Bats: A World of Science and Mystery presents these fascinating nocturnal creatures in a new light. Lush, full-color photographs portray bats in flight, feeding, and mating in views that show them in exceptional detail. The photos also take the reader into the roosts of bats, from caves and mines to the tents some bats build out of leaves. A comprehensive guide to what scientists know about the world of bats, the book begins with a look at batsand#8217; origins and evolution. The book goes on to address a host of questions related to flight, diet, habitat, reproduction, and social structure: Why do some bats live alone and others in large colonies? When do bats reproduce and care for their young? How has the ability to flyand#151;unique among mammalsand#151;influenced batsand#8217; mating behavior? A chapter on biosonar, or echolocation, takes readers through the system of high-pitched calls bats emit to navigate and catch prey. More than half of the worldand#8217;s bat species are either in decline or already considered endangered, and the book concludes with suggestions for what we can do to protect these species for future generations to benefit from and enjoy.
From the tiny and#147;bumblebee batand#8221;and#151;the worldand#8217;s smallest mammaland#151;to the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox, whose wingspan exceeds five feet, A Battery of Bats presents a panoramic view of one of the worldand#8217;s most fascinating yet least-understood species.
Review
andldquo;Yes, bats can be scary, but they can be beautiful, too, as researchers M. Brock Fenton and Nancy B. Simmons show in their new book, Bats: A World of Science and Mystery.andrdquo;
Review
andquot;Twelve chapters explain the biology of bats, their evolutionary history, morphologies, behaviors, life histories, food, diseases, and conservation. Wonderful color photographs accompany the text.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Recent advances in the study of bats have changed the way we understand this illusive group of mammals. This volume consist of 25 chapters and 57 authors from around the globe all writing on the most recent finding on the evolution, ecology and conservation of bats. The chapters in this book are not intended to be exhaustive literature reviews, but instead extended manuscripts that bring new and fresh perspectives. Many chapters consist of previously unpublished data and are repetitive of new insights and understanding in bat evolution, ecology and conservation. All chapters were peer-reviewed and revised by the authors. Many of the chapters are multi-authored to provide comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the topics.
Synopsis
Part 1. Evolutionary Patterns 1 How to Grow a Bat Wing.- 2. Time's Arrow in the Evolutionary Development of Bat Flight.- 3. Evolution of Echolocation.- 4. Nasal Emission and Noseleaves.- 5. Bat Facial and Lip Projections: Unique Integumentary Morphology.- 6. Bat Molecular Phylogenetics: Past, Present, and Future .- 7. Of Bats and Molecules: Chromosomal Characters for Judging Phylogenetic Relationships.- Part 2. Ecology and Behaviour.- 8. Aeroecology.- 9. Response of Bat Diversity to Forest Disturbance in Southeast Asia: Insights from Long- term Research in Malaysia.- 10. Modeling the Colonization of Hawaii by Hoary Bats (Lasiurus cinereus).-11. Learning and Memory in Bats: A Case Study on Object Discrimination in Flower-visiting Bats.- 12. Cooperation and Conflict in the Social Lives of Bats.-13. Decision Making and Socioemotional Vocal Behavior in Bats.- 14. New Advances in the Study of Group Behavior in Bats.- 15. Recent Advances in the Study of Bat Migration Research.- 16. Speciation Dynamics of the Fruit-eating Bats (Genus Artibeus): With Evidence of Ecological Divergence in Central American Populations.- Part 3. Conservation and Education 18. Considering Human Development, Socialization, and Enculturation in Educational Intervention for Wildlife Conservation: A Case for Bats.-19. Threats to Bats and Educational Challenges.- 20. Virology and Immunology of Bats.- 20. White-nose Syndrome: A Deadly Emerging Infectious Disease of Hibernating Bats.- 21. Impacts of Wind Energy Development on Bats: Implications for Conservation.- 22. Response of Bats to Climate Change: Learning from the past and Predicting the Future.- 23. Challenges of Using Bioacoustics to Globally Monitor Bats.- 24. On Estimating the Economic Value of Insectivorous Bats: Prospects and Priorities for Biologists.- 25. Bat Conservation: Past, Present and Future.
Synopsis
The night skies are filled with over 1200 species of bats, which comprise twenty-two percent of all living mammals, and have a total population in the billions.and#160; Our lives and theirs are intimately linkedand#151;in ecological systems in which they are key pollinators, and in human health, as vectors of disease. Their abilities to echolocate have inspired incredible biotechnology.and#160; And yet there is no up to date book that conveys an ecological and economic significance of bats, which is as vast as their incredible wingspans.
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This book is a tour of what is currently known about the biology of bats.and#160; It answers questions about where bats live; what they eat; why some bats hibernate and others migrate; why some live alone and others form large roosting aggregations, sometimes numbering in the millions; whether bats have their evolutionary roots with primates or some other mammalian group; how flight has influenced bat mating behavior; how bats use different sensory systems, from olfaction to hearing, to detect and capture prey; how and when bats reproduce and care for their young; what diseases they carry; why bats get bad press; and what we can do to protect and preserve these amazing mammals for future generations to benefit from and enjoy.and#160; The authors have studied bats the world over, from the petrified forests of Arizona to the rainforests of French Guiana, from Mayan ruins in Belize to the Hell Creek Badlands of Montana, from Tobago to Thailand. There are no better guides to echolocate generalists and specialists alike through the wonders of the bat world.
About the Author
Melville Brock Fenton is emeritus professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Western Ontario. He is the author or editor of several books, including Bat Ecology, also published by the University of Chicago Press.Nancy B. Simmons is curator-in-charge of the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History, where she is also professor in the Richard Gilder Graduate School.
Table of Contents
Part 1. Evolutionary Patterns 1 How to Grow a Bat Wing Lisa Noelle Cooper and Karen E. Sears 2 Time's Arrow in the Evolutionary Development of Bat Flight Rick A. Adams and Jason B. Shaw 3 Evolution of Echolocation M. Brock Fenton 4 Nasal Emission and Noseleaves Scott Pedersen & Rolf Müller 5 Bat Facial and Lip Projections: Unique Integumentary Morphology Gary Kwiecinski, J. Timothy Cannon, James D. German 6 Bat Molecular Phylogenetics: Past, Present, and Future Directions Ron A. van den Bussche and Justin B. Lack 7 Of Bats and Molecules: Chromosomal Characters for Judging Phylogenetic Relationships Marianne Volleth Part 2. Ecology and Behaviour 8 Aeroecology Winifred F. Frick, Phillip B. Chilson, Nathan W. Fuller, Eli S. Bridge, and Thomas H. Kunz 9 Response of Bat Diversity to Forest Disturbance in Southeast Asia: Insights from Long- term Research in Malaysia Tigga Kingston 10 Modeling the Colonization of Hawaii by Hoary Bats (Lasiurus cinereus) Frank J. Bonaccorso and Liam P. Mcguire 11 Learning and Memory in Bats: A Case Study on Object Discrimination in Flower-visiting Bats Georgina Ross and Marc W. Holderied 12 Cooperation and Conflict in the Social Lives of Bats Gerald G. Carter and Gerald S. Wilkinson 13. Decision Making and Socioemotional Vocal Behavior in Bats Jagmeet S. Kanwal, Zhenzhen Zhang, and Jiang Feng 14 New Advances in the Study of Group Behavior in Bats Nickolay I. Hristov, Louise C. Allen and Brad Chadwell 15 Recent Advances in the Study of Bat Migration Research Jennifer J. Krauel and Gary F. McCracken 16. Speciation Dynamics of the Fruit-eating Bats (Genus Artibeus): With Evidence of Ecological Divergence in Central American Populations Peter A. Larsen, María R. Marchán-Rivadeneira, and Robert J. Baker Part 3. Conservation and Education 18. Considering Human Development, Socialization, and Enculturation in Educational Intervention for Wildlife Conservation: A Case for Bats Sarah M. Bexell and Feng Rui Xi 19. Threats to Bats and Educational Challenges Merlin Tuttle 20. Virology and Immunology of Bats Tony Schountz 20. White-nose Syndrome: A Deadly Emerging Infectious Disease of Hibernating Bats DeeAnn M. Reeder and Marianne S. Moore 21. Impacts of Wind Energy Development on Bats: Implications for Conservation Edward B. Arnett and Erin F. Baerwald 22. Response of Bats to Climate Change: Learning from the past and Predicting the Future Gareth Jones and Hugo Rebelo 23. Challenges of Using Bioacoustics to Globally Monitor Bats Charlotte L. Walters, Alanna Collen, Tim Lucas, Kim Mroz, Catherine A. Sayer, and Kate E. Jones 24. On Estimating the Economic Value of Insectivorous Bats: Prospects and Priorities for Biologists Justin G. Boyles, Catherine L. Sole, Paul M. Cryan, and Gary F. McCracken 25. Bat Conservation: Past, Present and Future Paul A. Racey