Of the 6,500 or so different mammal species on earth, approximately 1,406 are from one group—bats! In other words, over 20% of known mammal diversity are bats. This module covers the basic biology and ecology of bats, the ecosystem services they provide, the threats they face globally, and how conservation actions can mitigate these threats. Students focus more locally in an accompanying exercise, Field Guide to the Bats in Your Neighborhood, where students are asked to research and present on bats in their region. In the case-study based exercise, Bats in the City? An Exploration of Acoustic Monitoring of Bats, students analyze acoustic data to answer ecological questions. Overall, students are introduced to bat ecology and conservation, urban biodiversity, bat echolocations/vocalizations, and the monitoring of these species through analyzing acoustic recordings with specialized software, Kaleidoscope. These materials were made in association with City Bats, a program in New York City designed to teach students more about the scientific process and urban biodiversity.
Featured in: Lessons in Conservation: Conservation and Technology Issue
See also:
The Bats of Madagascar: A Conservation Challenge
Sprawl and Biodiversity
Community Buzz: Conservation of Trees and Native Bees in Urban Areas
Themes: Conservation Tools, Ecology for Conservation
Language: English
Region: Global
Keywords: bats, conservation, data analysis, ecology
Components: 8
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This synthesis covers the basic bat biology and ecology of bats, the ecosystem services they provide, the threats they face globally, and how conservation actions can mitigate these threats.
Source: AMNH: Shelf Life 14
The island of Cuba is a key piece of the puzzle for two bat researchers trying to understand biodiversity in the Caribbean. Find out why on an expedition with mammalogists J. Angelo Soto-Centeno and Gilberto Silva Taboada, joined by Ana Luz Porzecanski, director of the Museum's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation.
After identifying the bats found in their region, students select a species that may live in their neighborhood to research further. Students are then asked to create a “field guide” on that species.
3 files
Author: J.A. Clark, S.J. Siller, S.K. Macey
This exercise introduces students to the use of bioacoustics to monitor bats in urban areas. Using data from the program Kaleidoscope, students will analyze, assess, and compare bat activity for different species collected via acoustic monitoring.
Author: J.A. Clark, S.K. Macey
In this supplement, you will find information on the more technical aspects of recording bat calls and analyzing recording data. In addition, general research questions that students might ask using bat recordings are provided.
2 files
Author: J.A. Clark, S.J. Siller, S.K. Macey
The solutions for Bats in the City? An Exploration of Acoustic Monitoring of Bats include a Word document that has teaching notes and an Excel file with solutions for the data analysis.
Author: S.K. Macey, J.A. Clark
This document includes teaching notes and solutions for the questions found in the Our Neighbors, Bats! synthesis and the exercise A Field Guide to Bats in your Neighborhood.
This semester, while teaching my field class remotely, I used the exercise "Bats in the City? An Exploration of Acoustic Monitoring of Bats". Prior to the start of the semester, I mailed students Audiomoths to record their own data. They downloaded the free 14 day trial of Kaliedoscope Pro and worked through this exercise. It was an excellent and engaging activity!Katie PAOLANTONIO, 10/21/2020
