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 Geog raphic \;contributor Christian Ziegler for a captivating visual j ourney into the fascinating world of these elusive night creatures\, to br ing you the book \;Bat Island: A Rare Journey into the Hidden Worl d of Tropical Bats.
\nBats are unique among mammals: they have acquired true flight\, they provide essential ecosystem services\, and rep resent the ecologically most diverse group of mammals worldwide. Synthesiz ing decades-worth of intensive study\, Drs. Rachel Page\, Dina Dechmann\, Teague O&rsquo\;Mara\, and Marco Tschapka provide authoritative insight al ongside 150 photographs that showcase bats&rsquo\; extraordinary environme ntal adaptations and rich natural history.
\nThis presentation will cover topics from the book\, such as the \;diverse sensory abilities o f bats\, their foraging strategies\, roosting ecologies\, and social syste ms. \;Bat Island \;presents decades of study of the hyper diverse bat population on Barro Colorado Island in addition to the most c omprehensive and long-term datasets on tropical bats. The book and this pr esentation highlights how bats are threatened by habitat fragmentation and land degradation\, and communicate the initiatives needed to ensure the s urvival of these animals\, which are critical to maintaining healthy\, bal anced ecosystems.
\nAnd let&rsquo\;s not forget\, the award-winning photojournalist Christian Ziegler&rsquo\;s photography as the images withi n the book illuminate the unique beauty and allure of bats and the tropica l rainforest in Panama. Register now for this rare look into \;Bat Island!
\nA bout the Presenters
\nDr. Rachel A. Page \;is a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Inst itute in Panama\, where she leads the Smithsonian Bat Lab (www.noseleaf.or g). She is broadly interested in animal behavior\, but her focus is unders tanding 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\, Page conducted postdocto ral research as an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Max Planck Institu te for Ornithology in Seewiesen\, Germany. Page has studied bats on Barro Colorado Island and the surrounding areas for over two decades. She has a passion for understanding rich\, tropical ecosystems and the myriad specie s interactions they encompass. In addition to conducting her own research\ , Page mentors a large group of students. Page lives at the edge of the ra inforest in Gamboa\, Panama. \;
\nDr. Dina K. N. Dechman n \;is a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Animal B ehavior (www.ab.mpg.de/dechmann) and a research associate at the Smithsoni an Tropical Research Institute. An evolutionary ecologist by training\, he r main research interest is how animals adapt to fluctuations in the resou rces upon which they depend. She is fascinated by how tiny mammals with fa st metabolisms\, such as bats and shrews\, adapt their morphology\, physio logy\, 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 in 2000\, she has been struck by the diversity of the t ropical bat community\, which remains a cornerstone of her research. She r eceived her master&rsquo\;s degree at the Swiss Federal Institute of Techn ology (ETH) in Zurich followed by a PhD at the University of Zurich and wa s a postdoctoral fellow at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Rese arch in Berlin. Since she was hired by Max Planck in 2009\, she has had th e 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 Switzerland. \;
\nDr. M. Teagu e 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 em phasis on bats in Panama. He is a research associate at the Smithsonian Tr opical Research Institute and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior\ , and an adjunct professor at Southeastern Louisiana University. He receiv ed his PhD from Arizona State University studying lemur development and so cial behavior\, and then switched to research with bats during postdoctora l 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.
\nThe views expressed by presenters are their own and their appearance in a program does not imp ly an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Reference to any s pecific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommenda tion by Dedham Public Library.
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