This is a general introduction to the biology of bats, suitable as a text for courses in the subject, and as a reliable reference to all aspects of the subject for a broad range of biologists. The book presents a balanced coverage of the physiology, anatomy, behaviour, ecology, and phylogeny of bats. Bats comprise about one quarter of all mammalian species, and because of their diversity and their complex behaviours, they are among the most intensively studied groups in the Mammalia. Gerhard Neuweiler is an internationally recognized authority on bats, and one of the leading workers on the physiology of echolocation.

This book is a concise, easy-to read guide to a selection of the most important contemporary electrophysiological techniques, their implementation, applications, and ways in which they can be combined and integrated with related neuroscience techniques. It is intended for students, postdocs and faculty with a basic neuroscience background, so does not obscure the relevant technical details with textbook neuroscience tutorials as many other books do. Each chapter provides a concise overview of the underlying theory, a comprehensive description of equipment, materials, methods, data management and analysis, a troubleshooting guide, and a list of frequently asked questions. No book or online resource can function as a strictly DIY set of instructions on how to implement a complex technique. However, this book provides a fundamental and accessible set of information intended to form a foundation prior to, during, and after hands-on experience and training, greatly facilitating the initial learning process and subsequent fine-tuning of technical details.

The brain of an echo locating bat is devoted, in large part, to analyzing sound and conducting behavior in a world of sounds and echoes. This monograph is about analysis of sound in the brainstem of echolocating bats and concerns the relationship between brain structure and brain function. Echolocating bats are unique subjects for the study of such relationships. Like man, echolocating bats emit sounds just for the purpose of listening to them. Simply by observing the bat's echolocation sounds, we know what the bat listens to in nature. We therefore have a good idea what the bat's auditory brain is designed to do. But this alone does not make the bat unique. The brain of the bat is, by mammalian standards, rather primitive. The unique aspect is the combination of primitive characteristics and complex auditory processing. Within this small brain the auditory structures are hypertrophied and have an elegance of organization not seen in other mammals. It is as if the auditory pathways had evolved while the rest of the brain remained evolutionary quiescent.

Temporal Pattern Analysis: Representations of Temporal Patterns of Signal Amplitude in the Anuran Auditory System and Electrosensory System (G.J. Rose). Mechanisms for Analysis of Auditory Temporal Patterns in the Brainstem of Echolocating Bats (J.H. Casseday, E. Covey). An Oscillatory Correlation Theory of Temporal Pattern Segmentation (D. Wang). Toward Simulated Audition in Open Environments (R.F. Port et al.). Temporal Pattern Generation: Temporal Patterning in a Small Rhythmic Neural Network (S.L. Hopper). The Role of Perception in Timing: Feedback Control in Motor Programming and Task Dynamics (G.P. Bingham). Neural Control of Temporally Organized Behaviors: Handwriting Production and Working Memory (S. Grossberg). Learning and Memory: Specialpurpose Temporal Processing in Hippocampal Fields CA1 and CA3 (R. Granger et al.). Modularity of Sequence Learning in Humans (S.W. Keele, T. Curran). Practical Applications: Classification of Spatiotemporal Patterns with Applications to Recognition of Sonar Sequences (J. Ghosh, L. Deuser). Index.

This is a general introduction to the biology of bats, suitable as a text for courses in the subject, and as a reliable reference to all aspects of the subject for a broad range of biologists. The book presents a balanced coverage of the physiologiy, anatomy, behavior, ecology, and phylogeny of bats. Bats comprise about 25% of all mammalian species, and because of their diversity and their complex behaviors, they are among the most intesively studied groups in the Mammalia. Gerhard Neuweiler is an internationally recognized authority on bats, and one of the leading workers on the physiology of echolocation.