Bat Biology and Ecology Studies

Bats make up roughly one-fifth of all mammal species and occupy nearly every terrestrial habitat on Earth, making them central subjects for understanding mammalian evolution, sensory biology, and ecosystem function. Research spans their remarkable physiological adaptations—including the deep metabolic suppression of hibernation and the precision of echolocation—alongside their roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, and insect predators with measurable effects on agriculture. White-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of North American bats since its emergence in 2006, has pushed conservation biology to the forefront of the discipline, while growing evidence that bats harbor coronaviruses and other zoonotic pathogens has made understanding their immune systems and population dynamics an urgent public-health concern. Open questions include how rapidly bat communities can adapt to climate-driven shifts in hibernation timing and prey availability, and how molecular phylogenetics can resolve the deep evolutionary relationships that underpin all of this comparative work.

Works

186,353

Total citations

875,388

Keywords

BatsHibernationEcholocationWhite-Nose SyndromeMetabolic RateMolecular Phylogeny