Includes bibliographical references and index.

Section 1: Introduction. Overview of this book / Theodore H. Fleming, Liliana M. Dávalos, and Marco A. R. Mello -- Setting the stage : climate, geology, and biota / Theodore H. Fleming -- Section 2: Phylogeny and evolution. Phylogeny, fossils, and biogeography : the evolutionary history of superfamily Noctilionoidea (Chiroptera: Yangochiroptera) / Norberto P. Giannini and Paúl M. Velazco -- Diversity and discovery : a golden age / Andrea L. Cirranello and Nancy B. Simmons -- Fragments and gaps : the fossil record / Nancy B. Simmons, Gregg F. Gunnell, and Nicolas J. Czaplewski -- Phylogenetics and historical biogeography / Liliana M. Dávalos, Paúl M. Velazco, and Danny Rojas -- Adapt or live : adaptation, convergent evolution, and plesiomorphy / Liliana M. Dávalos, Andrea L. Cirranello, Elizabeth R. Dumont, Stephen J. Rossiter, and Danny Rojas -- The evolution of body size in Noctilionoid bats / Norberto P. Giannini, Lucila I. Amador, and R. Leticia Moyers Arévalo -- Section 3: Contemporary biology. Structure and function of bat wings : a view from the Phyllostomidae / Sharon M. Swartz and Justine J. Allen -- The relationship between physiology and diet / Ariovaldo P. Cruz-Neto and L. Gerardo Herrera M. -- Sensory and cognitive ecology / Jeneni Thiagavel, Signe Brinkløv, Inga Geipel, and John M. Ratcliffe -- Reproduction and life histories / Robert M. R. Barclay and Theodore H. Fleming -- Patterns of sexual dimorphism and mating systems / Danielle M. Adams, Christopher Nicolay, and Gerald S. Wilkinson -- Section 4: Trophic ecology. The omnivore's dilemma : the paradox of the Generalist predators / Claire T. Hemingway, M. May Dixon, and Rachel A. Page -- Vampire bats / John W. Hermanson and Gerald G. Carter -- The ecology and evolution of nectar feeders / Nathan Muchhala and Marco Tschapka -- The frugivores : evolution, functional traits, and their role in seed dispersal / Romeo A. Saldaña-Vázquez and Theodore H. Fleming -- Section 5: Population and community ecology. Roosting ecology : the importance of detailed description / Armando Rodríguez-Durán -- Population biology / Theodore H. Fleming and Angela M. G. Martino -- Community ecology / Richard D. Stevens and Sergio Estrada-Villegas -- Network science as a framework for bat studies / Marco A. R. Mello and Renata L. Muylaert -- Contemporary biogeography / Richard Stevens, Marcelo M. Weber, and Fabricio Villalobos -- Section 6: Conservation. Challenges and opportunities for the conservation of Brazilian Phyllostomids / Enrico Bernard, Mariana Delgado-Jaramillo, Ricardo B. Machado, and Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar -- Threats, status, and conservation perspectives for leaf-nosed bats / -- Jafet M. Nassar, Luis F. Aguirre, Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera, and Rodrigo A. Medellín.

"The Phyllostomidae family of bats is extremely ecologically diverse, displaying more morphological variation than any other mammal family. It also provides one of the most famed examples of adaptive radiation, an area of study that allows biologists to see the dramatic evidence of the power of natural selection and opportunism in the evolution of life on Earth. The bats are also a beloved subject of study by biologists-from mammologists to evolutionary biologists to conservation biologists-for the role they play in the health of tropical ecosystems, especially as key pollinators. Phyllostomid bats are abundant, occupying systems from the southwestern United States to Argentina and throughout the West Indies. The family's diversity represents itself through two hundred species and manifests mainly in skull morphology and diet. They suck blood, eat small vertebrates, enjoy occasional fruits, and sip nectar here and there, too. They have a distinctive nose, reminiscent of a creature from a Hieronymus Bosch painting, thought to have evolved in various forms to reflect the preferred diet of different species. This collection presents in great detail what is currently known of the bats and divulges a trove of information about this incredible example of mammalian radiation"-- Provided by publisher.