With more than 1,400 species, bats are an incredibly diverse and successful group of mammals that can serve as model systems for many unique evolutionary adaptations. Flight has allowed them to master the sky, while echolocation enables them to navigate in the dark. Being small, secretive, nocturnal creatures has made bats a challenge to study, but over the past 50 years, innovative research has made it possible to dispel some of the mystery and myth surrounding them to give us a better understanding of the role these animals play in the ecosystem.The structure of the book is based on several broad themes across the biological sciences, including the evolution of bats, their ecology and behavior, and conservation of biodiversity. Within these themes are more specific topics on important aspects of bat research, such as morphology, molecular biology, echolocation, taxonomy, systematics, threats to bats, social structure, reproduction, movements, and feeding strategies.Given its scope, the book will appeal to the wider scientific community, environmental organizations, and government policymakers who are interested in the interdisciplinary aspects of biology and nature.

Combines a historical perspective celebrating the 50th anniversary of the North American Society for Bat Research with future directions in bat research for the next half century

Chapter 1. Introduction and implementation of harp traps signal a new era in bat research.- Chapter 2. Bats as Hosts of Important Unicellular Endoparasites.- Chapter 3. A global review of phylogeographic studies on bats.- Chapter 4. All the Better to Eat You With: The Legacy of James S. Findley's Phenetic Approach to Bat Biology.- Chapter 5. Fur, wings, and flowers: development and progress on nectarivorous bat research in the last 50 years.- Chapter 6. The Winter Worries of Bats: Past and Present Perspectives on Winter Habitat and Management of Cave Hibernating Bats.- Chapter 7. Integrating physiological and behavioral traits with ontogeny, phylogenetic history, and survival and fitness to understand heterothermy in bats.- Chapter 8. Molecular biology in the evolution of bats: a historical perspective.- Chapter 9. Molecular biology in the evolution of bats: a historical perspective.- Chapter 10. The evolution of acoustic methods for the study of bats.- Chapter 11. Bats, Bat Flies, and Fungi: Exploring Uncharted Waters.- Chapter 12. Bats and the Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences of Resource Spatio-temporal Predictability (STP).- Chapter 13. There and Back Again: Homing in Bats Revisited.- Chapter 14. A NASBR history of radiotelemetry-how technology has contributed to advances in bat biology.- Chapter 15. Bats Flying at High Altitudes.- Chapter 16. Contributions of Women and Creating a Culture of Inclusivity at the North American Society for Bat Research.- Chapter 17. Pioneers of bat habitat and resource selection.- Chapter 18. NASBR Origins 1970-2020: From an Informal Gathering to a Scientific Society.- Chapter 19. The Importance of Water Availability to Bats: Climate Warming and Increasing Global Aridity.- Chapter 20. Bats as reservoirs of viral zoonoses.- Chapter 21. Bats in temperate forests: where are the trends in bat populations?.- Chapter 22. How noise affects bats and what it reveals about their biosonar systems.