Acoustic Ecology of European Bats: Species Identification, Study of Their Habitats and Foraging Behavior

Abstract

Barataud, M. 2016. Acoustic Ecology of European Bats: Species Identification, Study of Their Habitats and Foraging Behavior. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 352 pp. (cloth). ISBN: 987-2-85653-771-8. $55. Acoustic surveys are useful for monitoring biodiversity change, particularly with bats as indicators since they constantly produce sound to detect and categorize objects (Schnitzler et al. 2003). European bat acoustics is the theme of this compilation of 8 chapters which examines the complexity of acoustic ecology, species identification, and how acoustic studies can help better understand the relationship between bats and the environment. Insights on biological sonar, basic concepts of acoustics, and parameter assessment of the use of ultrasound detectors are presented, enabling the reader to understand the fundamentals and acquire a working knowledge of the field. Comprising 352 pages, it includes a list of European bat species with potential acoustical identification of 84% of the species known, an outstanding illustrated glossary, and a list of abbreviations used in the text. The book includes a valuable CD with information that can be use in the laboratory to enable comparison with bat sounds recorded in the field. Two introductory chapters … Laboratorio de Bioconservacion y Manejo, Posgrado en Ciencias Quimicobiologicas, Departamento de Zoologia, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biologicas, Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico; e-mail: artibeus2{at}aol.com;