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 Geographic con tributor Christian Ziegler for a captivating visual journey into the fasci nating world of these elusive night creatures\, to bring you the book Bat Island: A Rare Journey into the Hidden World of Tropical Bats.
\nBat s are unique among mammals: they have acquired true flight\, they provide essential ecosystem services\, and represent the ecologically most diverse group of mammals worldwide. Synthesizing decades-worth of intensive study \, Drs. Rachel Page\, Dina Dechmann\, Teague O&rsquo\;Mara\, and Marco Tsc hapka provide authoritative insight alongside 150 photographs that showcas e bats&rsquo\; extraordinary environmental adaptations and rich natural hi story.
\nThis presentation will cover topics from the book\, such as the diverse sensory abilities of bats\, their foraging strategies\, roost ing ecologies\, and social systems. Bat Island presents decades of study o f 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 bats are threatened by habitat fragme ntation and land degradation\, and communicate the initiatives needed to e nsure the survival of these animals\, which are critical to maintaining he althy\, balanced ecosystems.
\nAnd let&rsquo\;s not forget\, the awa rd-winning photojournalist Christian Ziegler&rsquo\;s photography as the i mages within the book illuminate the unique beauty and allure of bats and the tropical rainforest in Panama. Register now for this rare look into Ba t Island!
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\nAbout the Presenters
\n\;Dr. Rachel A. Page is a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research I nstitute in Panama\, where she leads the Smithsonian Bat Lab (www.noseleaf .org). She is broadly interested in animal behavior\, but her focus is und erstanding the sensory and cognitive tools bats use to navigate their worl ds and interact with each other. After completing a BA at Columbia Univers ity and a PhD at the University of Texas at Austin\, Page conducted postdo ctoral research as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Max Planck Inst itute for Ornithology in Seewiesen\, Germany. Page has studied bats on Bar ro Colorado Island and the surrounding areas for over two decades. She has a passion for understanding rich\, tropical ecosystems and the myriad spe cies interactions they encompass. In addition to conducting her own resear ch\, Page mentors a large group of students. 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) and a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. An evolutionary ecologist by training\, her main research inte rest is how animals adapt to fluctuations in the resources upon which they depend. She is fascinated by how tiny mammals with fast metabolisms\, suc h 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 ecosystems across the world\, but since her first visit to BCI i n 2000\, she has been struck by the diversity of the tropical bat communit y\, which remains a cornerstone of her research. She received her master&r squo\;s degree at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zuric h followed by a PhD at the University of Zurich and was a postdoctoral fel low at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin. Sinc e she was hired by Max Planck in 2009\, she has had the good fortune to su pervise a group of brilliant young minds\, several of whom now run their o wn projects in Panama. Dechmann lives in the medieval town of Stein am Rhe in in Switzerland. \;
\nDr. M. Teague O&rsquo\;Mara is the Direc tor of Conservation Evidence at Bat Conservation International\, where he works on data-driven strategies for the conservation of global bat populat ions. O&rsquo\;Mara has studied animal behavior\, movement\, and physiolog y across the globe\, with an emphasis on bats in Panama. He is a research associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Max Planc k Institute of Animal Behavior\, and an adjunct professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. He received his PhD from Arizona State University st udying lemur development and social behavior\, and then switched to resear ch 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.
\n< em>This program is sponsored by the Friends of Duncan Library and the Friends of Beatley Central Library.
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