WORKSHOP - CROSS-TRAINING IN COMPLEX SYSTEMS IN BAT BIOLOGY (NON-STUDENT)

Wednesday, October 14, 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Bats have been the focus of considerable research attention following the COVID-19 pandemic, with special interest in the roles they play in ecosystems and how aspects of their unique physiology impact pathogen spread. It remains unclear the extent to which bat physiology intersects with the organisms they host, and how the broader environment modifies host-symbiont interactions. This lack of synthesis partly derives from post-hoc attempts to piece a larger network of interactions together from studies with distinct methodologies and primary aims. Organismal biology is inherently an integrative science, but most researchers are specialists in one or a few areas of science and are not specifically trained in integrative thinking across multi-scale systems. We propose to advance the study of complex, multi-scale systems in bat biology from whole-organism physiology to ecosystem interactions by offering training in research project development using systems-thinking (i.e. a way of looking at the world as a whole, rather than a collection of parts). To do this, we will draw on expertise both from within our global working group and from networks associated with the Global Union of Bat Diversity Networks (GBatNet) to work through modules covering what systems thinking is, how to use it in the context of bat research, and how to visualize complex networks. We will emphasize that beginning studies with integrative thinking is essential for filling unknown links in complex interaction networks involving bats. The half-day workshop will leverage existing and in-progress datasets of bat and bat-hosted organisms and combine theoretical training with hands-on exercises putting trainees in the role of designing an integrative study.