JOB DESCRIPTION
Looking for a full-time research assistant (RA) for a project investigating the urban ecology of bats in Singapore and the ecosystem services they provide (seed dispersal, pollination, consumption of insect pests). The RA will assist in collecting data in the field, labwork, and other tasks, under supervision.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Fieldwork (including at night) at various sites in Singapore. This work will involve:
• surveying bats (acoustic monitoring, i.e., bat detectors; capturing bats in mist nets and harp
traps),
• handling and processing bats to collect physiological and other data,
• collecting fecal samples for dietary analysis,
• radio telemetry to find daytime roost locations and estimate nightly home ranges,
• collecting nocturnal insects and conducting vegetation measurements in field sites.

2. Lab and analytical work, which will involve:
• examining diet (by fecal analysis and microscopy)
• analysing acoustic data (to identify bats and quantify activity)
• identifying and quantifying captured insects (microscopy)
• home range analysis

3. Data entry, management and analysis

4. Assisting with project logistics, including but not limited to purchasing equipment and/or materials,
setting up study sites, and monitoring research progress.

5. Administrative work and tasks, including office-related work

6. Assist in supervising student projects

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
Italicised items in bold are mandatory, others are ideal:
1. BSc degree in life sciences, ideally ecology or biology
2. Experience conducting ecological fieldwork, especially using mist nets and handling bats.
3. Experience collecting and dealing with full-spectrum acoustic data and with radio telemetry.
4. Ability to deal with shifting work schedules (i.e., some nighttime work)
5. Valid SG driver’s license or the ability to obtain one
6. Up-to-date rabies and hepatitis B vaccinations, or willingness to obtain both
7. Basic Microsoft Office skills, especially MS Word and Excel
8. Good interpersonal and communication skills, including proficiency in English
9. Experience with the statistical analysis of data
10. Experience with academic writing

This position is available for up to three years, with salary commensurate with qualifications and
experience. Conditions may be negotiable for exceptional applicants.

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resumé/curriculum vitae, and the contact information
of three referees to both:

Prof Theodore Evans dbseta@nus.edu.sg

Dr Joanna Coleman dbscmj@nus.edu.sg
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

Sothearen, T., N. M. Furey and J. A. Jurgens. 2014. Effect of bat guano on the growth of five economically important plant species. Journal of Tropical Agriculture 52 (2): 169-173.

Author for correspondence: sothearenthi at yahoo dot com

The full article is available at: http://www.jtropag.in/index.php/ojs/issue/view/28

Megaerops ecuadatus (Photo by Merlin Tuttle). Spreading seeds to grassland patches in Thailand

The case is often made that bats complement birds as seed dispersers in reforestation projects because they tend to defecate in flight, or drop larger seeds that they are carrying. This paradigm has come largely from work in the Neotropics, where the role of fruit bats as dispersers of seeds to abandoned pastures is well described. Much less is known from the Old World tropics, but a new paper from Tuanjit Sritongchuay and colleagues finds that fruit bats, primarily Cynopterus sphinx and Megaerops ecaudatus are similarly the primary seed dispersal agent in grassland patches in Thailand. Seed rain under bushes and shrubs in recovering habitat was primarily from birds, but birds played almost no role in the regeneration of open grassy habitats. The paper was published in Tropical Conservation Science and can be downloaded here 

Sritongchuay, T., Gale, G. A. Stewart, A., Kerdkaew, T. and Bumrungsri, S. 2014. Seed Rain in Abandoned
Clearings in a Lowland Evergreen Rain Forest in Southern Thailand. Tropical Conservation Science Vol.7 (3):572-585.
Available online: www.tropicalconservationscience.org

The Wrinkle-Lipped Bat — Hungry for ‘ Hoppers!

With an ever-increasing human population size in Asia, the need to identify sustainable practices to ensure food security is a priority. An article published by Wanger et. al. demonstrates that a single cave-roosting bat species, Chaerephon plicatus (the Wrinkled-Lipped Bat), substantially contributes to the suppression of a major rice pest in Thailand, the white-backed planthopper. Through complex extrapolations, the authors report that the population of eight million C. plicatus could prevent an annual loss of nearly 3,000 tons of rice in Thailand alone, with a monetary value of over $1.2 million USD. Through the prevention of crop loss by white-backed planthoppers, this single bat species likely protects food for 26,000 people ever year. Furthermore, the authors advocate for the protection of common yet functionally significant species, such as C. plicatus, rather than simply focusing conservation efforts on rare or threatened species.

Wanger, T.C., K. Darras, S. Bumrungsri, T. Tscharntke, and A-M. Klein. 2014. Bat pest control contributes to food security in Thailand. Biological Conservation 171: 220-223.

Notes from Tigga: Congratulations to SEABCRU steering committee member Sara Bumrungsri on this inspiring article – the power of ecosystem service evaluations such as this can’t be underestimated.  Also, we have followed another Steering Committee member, Nancy Simmons, in referring to this species as Chaerephon plicatus rather than Tadarida plicata — but its the same critter!  This paper also highlights the importance of conserving caves able to support these huge aggregations.

After the competition in 2011, this team was disbanded. Two years later, in 2013, they decided to show the video again as one of their activities in the Young Voices for Conservation competition organized by Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES) in partnership with AFFINBANK . Their team the Eco-Preneurs, Young Voices for Conservation, won a Special Merit Award in the competition for their work in bat conservation in their school.

At the same time Ching Ching and Shan Shan made another video about bats for the Green Film Competition 2013. They won the Grand Prize. Their video SOB (Save our Bats) can be watched at this link http://www.anugerahhijau.my/ or here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7ksc0ba28M.

Recently, the team was given a small grant to carry out an innovation related to the conservation of bats in their school. A newly formed team has set out to design a new bat house which simulates the attic. They have fixed a web cam to the bat house to monitor it for the duration of six months. So far no bats have yet to enter the house.

It is never an easy route for Madam Chan and the students of SMK King George V in making their school a bat and eco-friendly environment, as well as spreading the love of nature among the local society.  Their determination, passion, enthusiasm and creativity on this goal have turn the impossible to possible, and created a sustainable future for the local society. Their quest in the conservation of bats has become a passion and more students will join in the effort in the years to come.

Bea Maas, Yann Clough and Teja Tscharntke. 2013. Bats and birds increase crop yield in tropical agroforestry landscapes. Ecology Letters

Email Bea to obtain a copy of the pdf — beamass(at)gmx(dot)at