For decades\, scientists at the Smithsonia n Tropical Research Institute have studied the remarkable biodiversity of bats on Barro Colorado Island in Panama\, where an astonishing seventy-six species coexist. Now\, for the first time\, Smithsonian scientists&rsquo\ ; expertise pairs with the stunning photography of \;National Geograph ic \;contributor Christian Ziegler for a captivating visual journey in to the fascinating world of these elusive night creatures\, to bring you t he book \;Bat Island: A Rare Journey into the Hidden World of Trop ical Bats.
\nBats are unique among mammals: they have acquired true flight\, they provide essential ecosystem services\, and represent th e ecologically most diverse group of mammals worldwide. Synthesizing decad es-worth of intensive study\, Drs. Rachel Page\, Dina Dechmann\, Teague O& rsquo\;Mara\, and Marco Tschapka provide authoritative insight alongside 1 50 photographs that showcase bats&rsquo\; extraordinary environmental adap tations and rich natural history.
\nThis presentation will cover top ics from the book\, such as the \;diverse sensory abilities of bats\, their foraging strategies\, roosting ecologies\, and social systems.&n bsp\;Bat Island \;presents decades of study of the hyper diverse bat population on Barro Colorado Island in addition to the most comprehens ive and long-term datasets on tropical bats. The book and this presentatio n highlights how bats are threatened by habitat fragmentation and land deg radation\, and communicate the initiatives needed to ensure the survival o f these animals\, which are critical to maintaining healthy\, balanced eco systems.
\nAnd let&rsquo\;s not forget\, the award-winning photojour nalist Christian Ziegler&rsquo\;s photography as the images within the boo k illuminate the unique beauty and allure of bats and the tropical rainfor est in Panama. Register now for this rare look into \;Bat Island!
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\nAbout the Presenters:
\n< p> \;Dr. Rachel A. Page \;is a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama\, where she leads t he Smithsonian Bat Lab (www.noseleaf.org). She is broadly interested in an imal behavior\, but her focus is understanding the sensory and cognitive t ools bats use to navigate their worlds and interact with each other. After completing a BA at Columbia University and a PhD at the University of Tex as at Austin\, Page conducted postdoctoral research as an Alexander von Hu mboldt fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen\, G ermany. Page has studied bats on Barro Colorado Island and the surrounding areas for over two decades. She has a passion for understanding rich\, tr opical ecosystems and the myriad species interactions they encompass. In a ddition to conducting her own research\, Page mentors a large group of stu dents. 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 (www.ab.mpg.de/dechmann) an d a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. An evolutionary ecologist by training\, her main research interest is how ani mals adapt to fluctuations in the resources upon which they depend. She is fascinated by how tiny mammals with fast metabolisms\, such as bats and s hrews\, adapt their morphology\, physiology\, and behavior to deal with th e bottlenecks created by changes in the food landscape. She works in ecosy stems across the world\, but since her first visit to BCI in 2000\, she ha s been struck by the diversity of the tropical bat community\, which remai ns a cornerstone of her research. She received her master&rsquo\;s degree 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 Leib niz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. Since she was hired by Max Planck in 2009\, she has had the good fortune to supervise a group of brilliant young minds\, several of whom now run their own projects in Panama. Dechmann lives in the medieval town of Stein am Rhein in Switzerla nd. \;
\nDr. M. Teague O&rsquo\;Mara \;is t he Director of Conservation Evidence at Bat Conservation International\, w here he works on data-driven strategies for the conservation of global bat populations. O&rsquo\;Mara has studied animal behavior\, movement\, and p hysiology across the globe\, with an emphasis on bats in Panama. He is a r esearch associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the M ax Planck Institute of Animal Behavior\, and an adjunct professor at South eastern Louisiana University. He received his PhD from Arizona State Unive rsity studying lemur development and social behavior\, and then switched t o research with bats during postdoctoral work at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute\, the University of Konstanz\, and the Max Planck Insti tute of Animal Behavior in Germany. He lives in Baton Rouge\, Louisiana.\n
Disclaimer: \;
\nThe views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any spec ific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendatio n by Indianapolis Public Library.
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