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 Tropical Bats.
\nBats are unique among mammals: they have acquired true flig ht\, they provide essential ecosystem services\, and represent the ecologi cally most diverse group of mammals worldwide. Synthesizing decades-worth of intensive study\, Drs. Rachel Page\, Dina Dechmann\, Teague O&rsquo\;Ma ra\, and Marco Tschapka provide authoritative insight alongside 150 photog raphs that showcase bats&rsquo\; extraordinary environmental adaptations a nd rich natural history.
\nThis presentation will cover topics from the book\, such as the \;diverse sensory abilities of bats\, their for aging strategies\, roosting ecologies\, and social systems. \;Bat Isla nd \;presents decades of study of the hyper diverse bat population on Barro Colorado Island in addition to the most comprehensive and long-term datasets on tropical bats. The book and this presentation highlights how b ats are threatened by habitat fragmentation and land degradation\, and com municate the initiatives needed to ensure the survival of these animals\, which are critical to maintaining healthy\, balanced ecosystems.
\nA nd let&rsquo\;s not forget\, the award-winning photojournalist Christian Z iegler&rsquo\;s photography as the images within the book illuminate the u nique beauty and allure of bats and the tropical rainforest in Panama. Reg ister now for this rare look into \;Bat Island!
\nAbout the Presenters
\nDr. Rachel A. Page \;is a staff scient ist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama\, where she l eads the Smithsonian Bat Lab (www.noseleaf.org). She is broadly interested in animal behavior\, but her focus is understanding the sensory and cogni tive tools 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 Texas at Austin\, Page conducted postdoctoral research as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewies en\, Germany. Page has studied bats on Barro Colorado Island and the surro unding areas for over two decades. She has a passion for understanding ric h\, tropical ecosystems and the myriad species interactions they encompass . In addition to conducting her own research\, Page mentors a large group of students. Page lives at the edge of the rainforest in Gamboa\, Panama.& nbsp\;
\nDr. Dina K. N. Dechmann \;is a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (www.ab.mpg.de/dechmann) and a researc h associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. An evolutionar y ecologist by training\, her main research interest is how animals 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\, ada pt their morphology\, physiology\, and behavior to deal with the bottlenec ks created by changes in the food landscape. She works in ecosystems acros s the world\, but since her first visit to BCI in 2000\, she has been stru ck by the diversity of the tropical bat community\, which remains a corner stone of her research. She received her master&rsquo\;s degree at the Swis s Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich followed by a PhD at the University of Zurich and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Leibniz Institu te for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. Since she was hired by Max Pla nck in 2009\, she has had the good fortune to supervise a group of brillia nt young minds\, several of whom now run their own projects in Panama. Dec hmann lives in the medieval town of Stein am Rhein in Switzerland. \;< /p>\n
Dr. M. Teague O&rsquo\;Mara \;is the Director of Conservation Evidence at Bat Conservation International\, where he works on data-driven strategies for the conservation of global bat populations. O&rsquo\;Mara has studied animal behavior\, movement\, and physiology across the globe\, with an emphasis on bats in Panama. He is a research associate at the Smi thsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Max Planck Institute of Anima l Behavior\, and an adjunct professor at Southeastern Louisiana University . He received his PhD from Arizona State University studying lemur develop ment and social behavior\, and then switched to research with bats during postdoctoral work at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute\, the Uni versity of Konstanz\, and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in G ermany. He lives in Baton Rouge\, Louisiana.
\n\nThe views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a prog ram does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Re ference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorseme nt or recommendation by Oakville Public Library.
\n\n\nhttps://opl.libnet.info/event/11528028 URL;VALUE=URI:https://opl.libnet.info/event/11528028 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/opl/RECTANGLE_marketing_im age_Bat_Island.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR