Book Review

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Kunz, T.H. & Racey, P.A. (eds) (1998) Bat Biology and Conservation. Pp. xiv + 365. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, USA. £46.95 (hardback), ISBN 1-56098-825-8. There are over 900 species of bats worldwide, comprising a quarter of all known extant mammals, and they are found on every continent except Antarctica. The order Chiroptera is incredibly diverse and highly adapted displaying an astonishing variety of morphology, physiology, ecology and behaviour. Bat Biology and Conservation represents the publication of four symposia convened at the 10th International Bat Research Conference (Boston, USA, 6–11 August 1995). The aim of the book is to highlight new work in four research areas: Phylogeny and Evolution, Functional Morphology, Echolocation and Conservation Biology. In total, 36 researchers contributed to a total of 24 chapters. The evolutionary relationships between many bat species remain obscure, although recent advances in understanding these relationships have been made with the aid of molecular techniques, which can be used alongside the more traditional phylogenetic methods. Part 1, Phylogeny and Evolution (five chapters) presents largely new work that explores a number of different systematic problems at different taxonomic levels. These range from interfamilial relationships of bats to evidence of a southern hemisphere origin for the Hipposideridae. Part 2, Functional Morphology (six chapters) reviews a range of chiropteran morphological adaptations including that of the wing, muscle system, skull and teeth, and the origin of blood feeding. Part 3, Echolocation (five chapters) starts with two introductory chapters on how echolocating bats search for and acquire food, and goes on to investigate sensorimotor integration and the adaptations of the cochlea and auditory cortex system. As with many other groups of flora and fauna, bats face a variety of threats to their continued existence: some of these threats are common to other animals, others pose unique challenges to bats; some conservation issues are worldwide, others are specific to particular countries. Part 4, Conservation Biology (eight chapters) presents an overview of the state of bat conservation in eight geographic regions around the world (Europe, Africa, Australia, Brazil, Central America, North America, Indo-Pacific islands and the Philippines). The authors describe current knowledge of species' distribution and population status in each region, their habitat requirements, the threats facing the different species and the conservation strategies that have been drawn up in an attempt to halt the decline in bat numbers and diversity. The chapters are generally well written and there is much interesting work presented here that will complement previous conference proceedings publications (Fenton, Racey & Rayner 1987; Hanák, Horácek & Gaisler 1989; Racey & Swift 1995; Wilson & Gardner 1980). This is a book for the bat specialist or those with an interest in the specific fields covered, and for library collections, as the research areas presented are largely unrelated and often complex in content. There was a mixture of styles with some parts consisting mainly of new work, others of review and discussion chapters. It may appear from the title to be a bat biology text book but it was not intended as such and those wanting a comprehensive bat biology/ecology book should look to other texts (e.g. Altringham 1996; Hill & Smith 1984; Kunz 1982; Neuweiler 1998; Wimsatt 1970–77). For readers of Journal of Applied Ecology, conservationists and those with an interest in the regions covered, the chapters in the conservation biology section are the most relevant and comprehensive in the book and are well worth reading.