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. \ ;Bat Island \;presents decades of study of the hyper diverse bat popul ation on Barro Colorado Island in addition to the most comprehensive and l ong-term datasets on tropical bats. The book and this presentation highlig hts how bats are threatened by habitat fragmentation and land degradation\ , and communicate the initiatives needed to ensure the survival of these a nimals\, which are critical to maintaining healthy\, balanced ecosystems.< /p>\n
And let&rsquo\;s not forget\, the award-winning photojournalist Ch ristian Ziegler&rsquo\;s photography as the images within the book illumin ate the unique beauty and allure of bats and the tropical rainforest in Pa nama. Register now for this rare look into \;Bat Island!
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\nAbout the Presenters
\nDr. Rachel A. Page \;is a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama\, where she leads the Smithsonian Ba t Lab (www.noseleaf.org). She is broadly interested in animal behavior\, b ut her focus is understanding the sensory and cognitive 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\, Pa ge conducted postdoctoral research as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen\, Germany. Page has studied bats on Barro Colorado Island and the surrounding areas for over t wo decades. She has a passion for understanding rich\, tropical ecosystems and the myriad species interactions they encompass. In addition to conduc ting her own research\, 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 asso ciate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. An evolutionary ecol ogist by training\, her main research interest is how animals adapt to flu ctuations in the resources upon which they depend. She is fascinated by ho w tiny mammals with fast metabolisms\, such as bats and shrews\, adapt the ir morphology\, physiology\, and behavior to deal with the bottlenecks cre ated by changes in the food landscape. She works in ecosystems 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 remains a cornerstone of her research. She received her master&rsquo\;s degree at the Swiss Fede ral Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich followed by a PhD at the Unive rsity of Zurich and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Leibniz 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 you ng minds\, several of whom now run their own projects in Panama. Dechmann lives in the medieval town of Stein am Rhein in Switzerland. \;
\n< p>Dr. M. Teague O&rsquo\;Mara \;is the Director of Co nservation Evidence at Bat Conservation International\, where he works on data-driven strategies for the conservation of global bat populations. O&r squo\;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 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the Max Planck Institu te of Animal Behavior\, and an adjunct professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. He received his PhD from Arizona State University studying le mur development and social behavior\, and then switched to research with b ats during postdoctoral work at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institut e\, the University of Konstanz\, and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Be havior in Germany. He lives in Baton Rouge\, Louisiana.\nhttps://ediso npubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/11679639 URL;VALUE=URI:https://edisonpubliclibrary.libnet.info/event/11679639 ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/edisonpubliclibrary/Smiths onian_Tropical.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR