The Kingston lab is excited to share a new publication from Isham. This one took a fair bit of time, patience, and careful thinking to pull together. So we’re glad it’s finally out where it can be shared more widely. 

In this study, we take a closer look at what happens to insectivorous bat communities when tropical forests are broken into smaller fragments. What we found is that species aren’t lost at random. Instead, fragmentation tends to filter out certain bats first, and as that happens, the functional trait space starts to shrink. This contraction happens rapidly up to a threshold, after which it levels off at a reduced level. We also found that the pattern of disassembly reflects a combination of deterministic and stochastic processes. 

Figure 1. Non-random species loss driven by fragmentation leads to a contraction in functional trait space as species richness drops from 11 to 8, then levels off beyond this threshold.

One of the bigger takeaways is that conserving fragmented landscapes isn’t as straightforward as focusing on the biggest or most species-rich patches of forest. Smaller fragments matter too, and together they help maintain diversity across the broader landscape. This work also shows why it’s useful to look beyond species count alone. By incorporating functional diversity, we can better understand the impacts of fragmentation and make better-informed conservation decisions.

Figure 2. Landscape surrounding the Tengku Hasanal Wildlife Reserve in Krau, Malaysia. The area is a patchwork of land uses, including oil palm, rubber, and durian plantations, as well as urban development.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out the full paper here!

Y’all heard that right! We’ve got two brand new doctors coming out of the Kingston Lab this Fall! Big congratulations to Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Rutrough! 🥳

Both have done a fantastic job defending their dissertations, and we couldn’t be prouder! It’s been a joy watching their hard work pay off, and we can’t wait to see what kind of wild and wonderful science they’ll cook up next.

So go on and give them a holler in the comments. They’ve earned every bit of it!

Representing five countries across four continents, five GBatNet students, Ashraf, Cecilia, Parfait, Pedro, and Robin came together with a shared mission to advance research on Data Deficient bat species around the world. If Abby, another GBatNet student, had been able to join in person, we could have been six strong. But alas, one continent is short and a little bit sad about it.

After months of virtual meetings packed with brainstorming and lively debates, the in-person gathering gave the team a chance to roll up their sleeves, refine ideas, and give real shape to their plans. Together, they finalized research designs, pulled together valuable data, and split up tasks to keep the project moving forward. Now they are looking forward to sharing their findings with the wider scientific community and seeing the impact of all their work.

This year’s International Bat Research Conference (IBRC) in Cairns was among the most well-attended in the meeting’s history, and the Kingston Lab was well represented. Ben presented his work on the social networks and motivations driving bat hunting among communities in southern Nigeria, while Tigga talked about One Health Action Plans for species at the human-bat interface. Tigga also gave a distinguished plenary lecture on the need for networks, captivating the audience with an inspiring overview of GBatNet’s achievements and global impact. 

This summer, Ben co-instructed the 7-week BatCave course, alongside Drs. Kristen Rayfield and Cassie Bonavita from the Dávalos and Anthony labs, respectively. This program, supported by the National Science Foundation, recruited six undergraduates from six different U.S. universities for an intensive, hands-on training in integrative disease ecology. Throughout this course, students received daily instruction and mentorship across ecology, virology, genomics, data analysis, coding, and science communication, while working with real datasets from Egyptian fruit bats in Nigeria.  

Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive. One participant described the BatCave course as ‘an amazing undergraduate opportunity’. All students shared that the experience gave them the confidence and preparation needed to pursue graduate school and do integrative science with ease. 

Who’s there? Our newest lab member, Mary Heather Jingco!

We are so thrilled to welcome Heather to the Kingston Lab family! She’s doing things a little differently. Instead of following in the West Texas footsteps at Tech, she’s settled in our new base camp at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Heather’s fixing to dive into research on endangered bat species in the Marianas, and we can’t wait to see what kind of batty brilliance she brings to the mix.

So y’all, give her a big Kingston Lab welcome!