A Natural History of Bat Foraging

Evolution, Physiology, Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation

1st Edition - November 21, 2023
Editors: Danilo Russo, Brock Fenton
Language: English
Paperback ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 1 8 2 0 - 6
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 3 2 3 - 9 7 2 6 1 - 1

A Natural History of Bat Foraging: Evolution, Physiology, Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation offers an all-inclusive resource on all aspects encompassing the vital process o… Read more

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A Natural History of Bat Foraging: Evolution, Physiology, Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation offers an all-inclusive resource on all aspects encompassing the vital process of foraging for bats. The book explores knowledge in the field, including sensory ecology, the development of cognitive maps, bat microbiomes, and molecular approaches to studying a bat’s diet. It covers the importance of foraging in biology, from evolution and natural selection, to physiology, behavior, ecology, and natural history. In addition, it provides a unique focus on the implications of bat foraging for conservation purposes, including the role that molecular biology can play in preventing species depletion or extinction.

With over 1,400 species, bats are among the most diverse vertebrate groups, having evolved an astonishingly broad range of foraging strategies to adapt to nearly all global regions and environments. The book assesses manmade and environmental issues that bats must overcome to ensure survival and prevent extinction. Written by international leaders in bat research, this is the ideal resource for bat specialists and conservationists, as well as zoologists, animal behaviorists, and academics associated with such disciplines.

Cover image
Title page
Table of Contents
Copyright
Contributors
Author biographies
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Foraging in the fossil record: Diet and behavior of the earliest bats
Introduction
Dental morphology and diet
Ancient bat dentitions and hypothesized diets
Fossilized stomach contents
Postcranial clues
Evolution of echolocation
Vision and nocturnality
Foraging strategies in ancient bats
Ecological and faunal diversity in the Eocene
Chapter 3. How the moth got its ears and other just-so stories in the history of bat–moth interactions
How the moth got its ears
How the moth got its voice
How the bat got its whisper
How the moth got its invisibility cloak
How the moth got its tail
Conclusion
Chapter 4. Sensory systems used by echolocating bats foraging in natural settings
Introduction
Echolocation
Auditory signals and ecological niche
Other bat sensory systems and specializations
Conclusion
Chapter 5. Foraging strategies of echolocating bats
Introduction
Constraints that shape the foraging strategies of bats
Foraging strategies of bats
Search and commuting behavior of foraging bats
Outlook
Chapter 6. Foraging, movements, and diet habits of arid-zone dwelling bats
Introduction
Conclusions
Chapter 7. Social foraging and information transfer
History of the study of social information use in bats
The cons of social foraging
Other types of social foraging in bats
Conclusions
Chapter 8. Insect migrations and the ecology, behavior, and population dynamics of bats
Introduction
Introduction to insect migration
Conclusions
Chapter 9. Bats as prey
Introduction
Bat responses to predation
Bat predation and nocturnality
Predators of bats
Conclusions and suggestions for further research
Chapter 10. Energetics of foraging bats
Energy budgets and metabolism
Energy required to get food
Energy in food
Spatial and temporal variation in the foodscape
Conclusion
Chapter 11. Bat migration and foraging: Energy-demanding journeys on tight budgets
Introduction
What species of bats migrate?
Resource fluctuations as a driver of migration
The energetics of migratory flights
Stopover behavior and torpor-assisted migration
Food for migration
Flight corridors
Open research questions
Chapter 12. Microbiomes of bats
Gastrointestinal structure
Interactions between the gut microbiota and immune development
Host diet influences taxonomic composition of the microbiome
Interactions between microbiome functions and diet
Beyond bacteria: the “other” bat microbiome
Conclusions
Chapter 13. The diets of bats: Think outside the guild
Collapse of the traditional guild
Are insectivores a guild?
Case study 1: Antrozous pallidus, the scorpion eating bat that pollinates cacti
Are nectarivores a guild?
Case study 2: Glossophaga - the nectar bat that sneaks an insect snack
Are frugivores a guild?
Caste study 3: Widely distributed pteropodids
Are carnivores a guild?
Case study 4: Trachops the “frog eating” bat
Assemblage-wide assessment of diet in bats
A world with more omnivores?
Chapter 14. Bioaccumulation and foraging behavior
Introduction
Dietary exposure to contaminants
Dietary exposure to parasites
Interactions between foraging, contaminants, and parasitism
Future research directions
Acknowledgments
Glossary
Chapter 15. Foraging-dependent ecosystem services
Introduction
Arthropod suppression
Pollination and seed dispersal
Ecosystem disservices
Conservation recommendations
Chapter 16. Conserving bats and their foraging habitats
Introduction
Threats to bat foraging
Conservation evidence
The benefits to human well-being of protecting where bats eat
Conservation initiatives targeting bat foraging
Gardening for bats
Conclusion
Chapter 17. Bat foraging: The next steps
Index

Danilo Russo

Prof. Danilo Russo is a full professor of Ecology at Naples University Federico II and an honorary professor at the University of Bristol, UK. He obtained his PhD in Zoology from the University of Bristol in 2002. Currently, he serves as the head of the Animal Ecology and Evolution Laboratory in the Department of Agriculture at his university. His research interests encompass a wide range of subjects, including habitat selection, resource partitioning, sensory ecology, social behaviour, evolutionary biology, biogeography, and invasion ecology. While much of his research focuses on bats, he also investigates various other model organisms to address specific questions of interest.

From 2019 to 2023, Prof. Russo chaired the Scientific Committee of the UNEP/EUROBATS Agreement, which is responsible for the conservation of European bat populations. Additionally, he takes great pride in his role as the editor-in-chief of the highly esteemed zoological journal, Mammal Review. Furthermore, he is the main proposer and chair of the Management Committee for the EU COST Action "CLIMBATS" (CA18107), a significant initiative exploring climate change's effects on bat populations.

Prof. Russo's contributions to the scientific community are exemplified by his publication record, which includes approximately 170 scientific articles in internationally respected journals such as Nature Communications, Current Biology, Ecology Letters, and Biological Reviews.

Having conducted fieldwork in diverse regions and environments across the globe, ranging from African rainforests to the Israeli desert and European beech woodlands, Prof. Russo possesses invaluable firsthand experience in various ecosystems.

Affiliations and expertise

Animal Ecology and Evolution Laboratory (AnEcoEvo), Dipartimento di Agraria, Universita` degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Portici, Italy

Brock Fenton

M.B. (Brock) Fenton received his Ph.D. in 1969 for work in the ecology and behavior of bats. Since then he has held academic positions at Carleton University, York University and the University of Western Ontario. He has published over 250 papers in refereed journals (most about bats), as well as numerous nontechnical contributions. He has written four books about bats intended for a general audience. He continues his research on the ecology and behavior of bats, with special emphasis on echolocation and evolution. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Royals Society of Canada (FRSC) in November 2014. In November 2018 he began a three-year term as Deputy Executive Editor-in-Chief, Canadian Science Publishing. In February 2020 he began a three-year term as a member of the Board of Directors of Bat Conservation International. He currently serves as an academic editor for PLoS ONE Biology, and Nature Scientific Reports.

Affiliations and expertise

Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada

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