Phyllostomid Bats
A Unique Mammalian Radiation
With more than two hundred species distributed across most of mainland Mexico, Central and South America, and islands in the Caribbean Sea, the Phyllostomidae bat family (American leaf-nosed bats) is one of the world's most diverse mammalian families in terms of its trophic, or feeding, diversity. From an insectivorous ancestry, extant species have evolved into several dietary classes, including blood-feeding, vertebrate carnivory, and the consumption of nectar, pollen, and fruit, in a period of about 30 million years. Phyllostomidae's plant-visiting species are responsible for pollinating more than five hundred species of neotropical shrubs, trees, vines, and epiphytes – many of which are economically and ecologically important – and they also disperse the seeds of at least another five-hundred plant species. Fruit-eating and seed-dispersing members of this family thus play a crucial role in the regeneration of neotropical forests, and the fruit eaters are among the most abundant mammals in these habitats. Coauthored by leading experts in the field and synthesizing the latest advances in molecular biology and ecological methods, "Phyllostomid Bats" is the first overview in more than forty years of the evolution of the many morphological, behavioral, physiological, and ecological adaptations in this family. Featuring abundant illustrations as well as details on the current conservation status of phyllostomid species, it is both a comprehensive reference for these ecologically vital creatures and a fascinating exploration of the evolutionary process of adaptive radiation.
About the Author
Theodore H. Fleming is professor emeritus of biology at the University of Miami, where he worked for thirty years. Among his recent books are "Island Bats" and "The Ornaments of Life", both published by the University of Chicago Press, and "No Species Is an Island".
Liliana M. Davalos is professor of conservation biology at Stony Brook University. She is co-editor of "The Origins of Cocaine" and co-author of the 2016 World Drug Report.
Marco A. R. Mello is professor of ecology at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He served as the president of the Brazilian Bat Research Society and is the author, in Portuguese, of "Sobrevivendo na Ciencia: Um Pequeno Manual para a Jornada do Cientista".
