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SUNDAY'S CHILD
Sunday's Child "Christopher" 2/7/10
Just in time for the Winter Olympics, CBS 7’s Tatum Hubbard hit the ice with a very athletic 15-year-old for a little "speed skating."
Just in time for the Winter Olympics, CBS 7’s Tatum Hubbard hit the ice with a very athletic 15-year-old for a little "speed skating."
Sul Ross' Ritzi Publishes Book Chapter on Bat Ecoparasites 10/27/09
Sul Ross State University News Release
October 27, 2009
Alpine, Texas - Dr. Christopher Ritzi, Sul Ross State University assistant professor of Biology, recently published a book chapter on bat ectoparasites in the book “Behavior and Ecological Methods for the Study of Bats,” edited by T. Kunz and S. Parsons.
The book, the second edition published 20 years after its predecessor, covers the basic techniques in studying bat biology, from how to catch and net bats, to aging and sexing, to studying their diet and energy dynamics. Because of the broad basic nature of the text, it covers all the topics one needs to be able to start or continue studying bat biology in the field, regardless of whether the reader is an amateur naturalist or a professional researcher. The text is fully illustrated, with each chapter contributed by the leading experts in their respective fields of bat biology.
The chapter co-authored by Ritzi is titled “Collecting and Preserving Bat Ectoparasites for Ecological Study.” Co-authors John O. Whitaker, Jr. of Indiana State University and Carl Dick of the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Ill., worked together to create a modern synthesis of known bat ectoparasitic knowledge for future research to build upon and utilize.
The chapter discusses the importance of ectoparasites to animal ecology, host specificity, and the effects that ectoparasites have on their hosts. It then proceeds to outline and explain various methods for collecting these parasites, and ways to store them for use in museum or molecular studies. The chapter also discusses useful methods for analyzing parasitic data, as well as suggesting future areas in which additional research is needed. The last section of the chapter, although arguably the most important, is a key to major groups of ectoparasites, with discussions and illustrations of mainly of the parasites found on bats.
The majority of the photographs in this section are ones that have been taken by Ritzi over the years he has studied these fascinating organisms. It is hoped that this book will encourage future biologists, and open new avenues in the realms of bat ecology.
For more information, contact Ritzi, (432) 837-8112.
