Bat Ecology

Abstract

T. H Kunz, M. B. Fenton.(eds.) 2003. Bat Ecology. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois. 779 pp. ISBN 0-226-46206-4, price (hardbound), $55.00. In 1982, Kunz (1982) provided a seminal review of bat ecology. Several books on bat biology, both edited and single-authored, have been published since that time. The newest contribution is Bat Ecology , coedited by Kunz and Fenton. At nearly 800 pages, it dwarfs the 1982 volume and offers a more diverse inquiry into the lives of bats. Bat Ecology is an attractive, well-edited book whose authorship overlaps somewhat with the 1982 volume, but which also includes contributions from authors more recent to the field. The book is split into 3 parts: “Life History and Social Biology,” “Functional Ecology,” and “Macroecology,” each containing 5 chapters that are integrated using within-chapter cross-references, making the book user friendly. Most chapters are reviews, although some do include previously unpublished information and data. I enjoyed this book immensely, especially its heuristic value in outlining future research needs. Generally, authors cite literature appropriate to their chapters, although some are more comprehensive than others. To keep the length of this review reasonable, I have opted to examine particular chapters, rather than providing a cursory assessment of all 15. However, I found all chapters to be compelling contributions to our understanding of bat biology. Chapter 1, “Ecology of Cavity and Foliage Roosting Bats,” is a thorough review of the literature, richly informative and deep in coverage. The many photographs of habitat types and bat roost sites as well as the comprehensive tables of comparative data provide valuable information to those studying bat roosting ecology. The chapter mixes broader theoretical concerns …