MƒA Thursday Think: Bats and the Biodiversity Crisis

With ~1,500 species, bats are one of the most diverse mammalian groups on the planet! Found on every continent except Antarctica, their habitats span nearly every ecosystem from islands to forests to urban environments. But bat populations, like most other species, are on the decline. In this talk, Dr. Angelo Soto-Centeno will explore the drivers of species loss (and survival) through the lens of bats, including habitat fragmentation, climate change, and human impact. With a special focus on bats from the Caribbean and NYC, he will zoom into the factors, both natural and anthropogenic, that contribute to bat diversity and provide insights into the mechanisms that shape species resilience.

Dr. Angelo Soto-Centeno is an Assistant Curator in the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History. His research primarily lies at the interface of extinction and speciation of Caribbean bats, combining ecological, genomic, and paleontological data to understand present-day patterns of biodiversity. More broadly, his research group studies phylogenomics and phylogeography of bats from insular to continental systems and the environmental factors that shape bat distributions. Angelo earned his B.Sc. from the Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico and holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the North American Society for Bat Research, the Regional Coordinator of the Caribbean and Latin America for the Global South Bats Network, and a member of the Bat Taxonomy Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

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BUILDING ENTRY PROTOCOL

• All attendees must be pre-registered and walk-in entry will be denied
• Provide a valid photo ID upon entry
• Admittance to the event closes at 5:30 p.m.

Please note that by entering the Simons Foundation buildings, you are attesting that you are not experiencing COVID symptoms and are not knowingly positive for COVID.

EVENT SCHEDULE

• 4:30 - Doors Open
• 4:30-5:15 - Dinner - Dumplings, Salad, Noodles (GF/Vegetarian/Vegan options available)
• 5:15 - Dinner Service Closes
• 5:30 - Start Time: Welcome and Introductions
• 5:40-6:30/6:45 - Movie Screening
• 6:45-7:30 - Reception (and Dinner Reopens)
• 7:30 - Goodbye and See You Next Time!

Please arrive early if you'd like to eat dinner. Dinner service will close at 5:15 p.m.

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