For decades\ , scientists at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute have studied t he remarkable biodiversity of bats on Barro Colorado Island in Panama\, wh ere an astonishing seventy-six species coexist. Now\, for the first time\, Smithsonian scientists&rsquo\; expertise pairs with the stunning photogra phy of National Geographic contributor Christian Ziegler for a captivating visual journey into the fascinating world of these elusive night creature s\, to bring you the book Bat Island: A Rare Journey into the Hidden W orld of Tropical Bats.
\nBats are unique among mammals: they have acquired true flight\, they provide essen tial ecosystem services\, and represent the ecologically most diverse grou p of mammals worldwide. Synthesizing decades-worth of intensive study\, Dr s. Rachel Page\, Dina Dechmann\, Teague O&rsquo\;Mara\, and Marco Tschapka provide authoritative insight alongside 150 photographs that showcase bat s&rsquo\; extraordinary environmental adaptations and rich natural history .
\nThis presentation will cover topic s from the book\, such as the diverse sensory abilities of bats\, their fo raging strategies\, roosting ecologies\, and social systems. Bat Islan d presents decades of study of the hyper diverse bat population on Ba rro Colorado Island in addition to the most comprehensive and long-term da tasets on tropical bats. The book and this presentation highlights how bat s are threatened by habitat fragmentation and land degradation\, and commu nicate the initiatives needed to ensure the survival of these animals\, wh ich are critical to maintaining healthy\, balanced ecosystems.
\nAnd let&rsquo\;s not forget\, the award-winning photojournalist Christian Ziegler&rsquo\;s photography as the images with in the book illuminate the unique beauty and allure of bats and the tropic al rainforest in Panama. Register now for this rare look into Bat Isla nd!
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About the Presenters
\nDr. Rachel A. Page is a staff scientist a t the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama\, where she leads the Smithsonian Bat Lab (www.noseleaf.org). She is broadly interested in a nimal behavior\, but her focus is understanding the sensory and cognitive tools bats use to navigate their worlds and interact with each other. Afte r completing a BA at Columbia University and a PhD at the University of Te xas at Austin\, Page conducted postdoctoral research as an Alexander von H umboldt fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen\, Germany. Page has studied bats on Barro Colorado Island and the surroundin g areas for over two decades. She has a passion for understanding rich\, t ropical ecosystems and the myriad species interactions they encompass. In addition to conducting her own research\, Page mentors a large group of st udents. Page lives at the edge of the rainforest in Gamboa\, Panama. \ ;
\nDr. Dina K. N. Dechmann is a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. A n evolutionary ecologist by training\, her main research interest is how a nimals adapt to fluctuations in the resources upon which they depend. She is fascinated by how tiny mammals with fast metabolisms\, such as bats and shrews\, adapt their morphology\, physiology\, and behavior to deal with the bottlenecks created by changes in the food landscape. She works in eco systems across the world\, but since her first visit to BCI in 2000\, she has been struck by the diversity of the tropical bat community\, which rem ains a cornerstone of her research. She received her master&rsquo\;s degre e at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich followed by a PhD at the University of Zurich and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Le ibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. Since she was hir ed by Max Planck in 2009\, she has had the good fortune to supervise a gro up of brilliant young minds\, several of whom now run their own projects i n Panama. Dechmann lives in the medieval town of Stein am Rhein in Switzer land. \;
\nDr. M. Teague O &rsquo\;Mara is the Director of Conservation Evidence at Bat Cons ervation International\, where he works on data-driven strategies for the conservation of global bat populations. O&rsquo\;Mara has studied animal b ehavior\, movement\, and physiology across the globe\, with an emphasis on bats in Panama. He is a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Re search Institute and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior\, and an adjunct professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. He received his Ph D from Arizona State University studying lemur development and social beha vior\, and then switched to research with bats during postdoctoral work at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute\, the University of Konstanz\ , and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany. He lives in Baton Rouge\, Louisiana.
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