Dear Colleague,
We wish to extend a cordial invitation to you to participate in the International  Symposium  on  Bat
Migration to be held from 16-18 January 2009 in Berlin, Germany.
AIM
The aim of this symposium is to foster an exchange of ideas among international specialists from many
disciplines working on migratory bats. To achieve this aim, we suggest several exciting topics as sessions or
workshops. In addition, we have invited three plenary speakers to review thought-provoking and visionary
topics regarding the migration of bats.
PLENARY TALKS
     •    Aeroecology – The next frontier (Prof. Dr. Thomas Kunz, Boston University, Boston USA)
     •    How far are we from tracking small animals globally (Prof. Dr Martin Wikelski, Max-Planck-Institute
          for Ornithology Radolfzell, Germany)
     •    Migratory bats and wind turbines (Dr. Paul Cryan, U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins, USA)
TENTATIVE LIST OF SESSIONS
     •    Migratory connectivity and phenology
     •    Physiology and behavior
     •    Bat navigation
     •    Population genetics
     •    Conservation of migratory bats
You may submit abstracts for posters or oral presentations. Please note that time slots for oral
presentations are limited and therefore oral presentations will be assigned on a competitive basis. Details
regarding format and style will be communicated in our next call.
DEADLINE AND COSTS
The deadline for registration and abstract submission is 1. October 2008. Expected registration fee is 70€.
The deadline for submission of workshop and session titles is 1. August 2008. Please check our next call
for more details.
Please let us know whether you would be interested in organizing or convening a workshop/session. They
could be either a sequence of oral presentations or roundtable discussions or a combination of both.
We are expecting a stimulating program with many interesting scientific presentations supplemented by an
entertaining, yet informative, evening program. Please feel free to distribute this call to anyone you think
might be interested in participating. We apologize in case you received this letter more than once. If you
have any questions, please contact us at Diese E-Mail Adresse ist gegen Spam Bots geschützt, Sie müssen Javascript aktivieren, damit Sie es sehen können or check the web page at (www.izw-
berlin.de)
We are looking forward to seeing you in Berlin next January,
Dr. Christian C. Voigt and Dr. Ana Popa-Lisseanu
Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife      P.O.Box 60 11 03, 10252 Berlin
Research (IZW), Berlin, Germany             Fon. + 49 - 30 - 51 68 – 609
of the Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V.        Fax + 49 - 30 - 51 26 – 104
Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17                    http://www.izw-berlin.de
10315 Berlin                                :: Evolutionary wildlife research for conservation ::
GERMANY
       INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BAT MIGRATION
                                  BERLIN, 16‐18 JANUARY 2009
                                      TENTATIVE PROGRAM
We invite speakers to present data, results or comprehensive reviews dealing with migratory bats
in any region of the world. We propose the following sessions covering various topics related to
bat migration. Talks can be included within any of these sessions but need not be restricted to
them.
SESSION I: MIGRATORY CONNECTIVITY AND PHENOLOGY 
Migratory connectivity designates the links between breeding areas, stopover sites and wintering
areas of migratory animals. Methods for its study include banding, telemetry, population genetic
markers and stable isotopes. Much of what is known about migratory strategies of bats results
from analyzing the phenology of bat migration, such as the seasonal arrivals of migrants and their
variations in sex ratios throughout the year.
SESSION II: PHYSIOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BAT NAVIGATION
Migration is an energy-consuming process that may affect the physiology and behavior of bats.
Fat deposition before winter must not only allow bats to survive hibernation, but also to sustain
their long-distance flights. Migration affects the timing of other energetically expensive processes
such as mating and reproduction and vice versa. Mechanisms for orientation and navigation are
especially important for migratory bats that have to find their way across unknown landscapes.
SESSION III: POPULATION GENETICS AND MATING SYSTEMS
Genetic markers can provide information about migratory directions in a broad scale. Population
genetic analysis can also reveal which sex disperses, the degree of isolation of different
populations, or whether separate breeding populations mix at hibernating sites. Because
migration temporally overlaps, at least partially, with the mating season, it can affect the type of
interactions between males and females, favoring certain types of mating systems over others.
SESSION IV: HUMAN‐BAT CONFLICT AND CONSERVATION OF MIGRATORY BATS
Migratory bats require many distinct and geographically separated landscapes and are thus
especially difficult to protect. Forest destruction seriously affects the possibility of finding suitable
roosts in breeding and wintering grounds and across migratory routes. Wind energy facilities kill
significant numbers of migrating bats. Other human infrastructures, such as houses, can result in
deadly traps for migrating bats in search of stop-over roosts. Recently, global climate change has
been recognized as a major threat to migratory species.
ROUND‐TABLE DISCUSSION: CURRENT CHALLENGES AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
We encourage participants to take part in a discussion about current challenges for the study of
bat migration and for the protection of migratory bats, future perspectives, and what
conservational efforts can be achieved at both national and international levels.
                                    TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Friday ( 16.1.2009)    15:00 – 20:00 Registration
                        18:00 – 19:00 Plenary talk “Aeroecology – The next frontier”, Prof. Dr.
                        Thomas H. Kunz (Boston University, Boston USA)
                        19:00 Dinner and Warm-up Party
Saturday (17.1.2009) 9:00 Plenary talk “How far are we from tracking small animals globally”,
                        Prof. Dr. Martin Wikelski (Max-Planck-Institute of Ornithology, Radolfszell,
                        Germany)
                        10:00 – 12:00 Session: “Migratory Connectivity and Phenology”
                        12:00– 13:00 Lunch break
                        13:00 – 14:30 Session: “Physiology and Behavior/Bat Navigation”
                        14:30 – 15:00 Coffee break/Poster
                        15:00 – 16:30 Session: “Population Genetics and Mating Systems”
                        16:30 – 17:00 Coffee break/Poster
                        17:00 – 18:00 Poster session
                        19:00 Banquet
Sunday (18.1.2009)      9:00 – 10:00 Plenary talk “Migratory bats and wind turbines” Dr. Paul
                        Cryan (United States Geological Survey, Fort Collins, USA)
                       10:00 – 12:00 Session: “Human-Bat Conflict and Conservation of
                        Migratory Bats”
                       12:00 – 13:00 Round-table discussion: “Current Challenges and Future
                        Perspectives”
                        13:00 end of conference