MRI: Acquisition of an Infrared Thermal Imaging System for Applications in Ecology and Behavior

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A grant has been awarded to Dr. Thomas Kunz at Boston University to acquire anadvanced infrared thermal (IRT) imaging system to investigate the ecology and behavior of animals and plants. The instrumentation is prepared for rugged fieldwork and includes a high resolution infrared camera and lenses, video-signal electronics for real-time data acquisition, and small computer with specialized software for operation. The system accurately measures the surface temperature of organisms and objects without making physical contact. Detailed observations of plants and animals can be made in total darkness and without impinging on an organism's normal activities. The highly sensitive data enables further inferences to be made about metabolic activity and behavior for known organisms under investigation. Research projects involve a variety of animal and plant species and address problems in thermoregulation and behavior, ecosystem mass and energy exchange, and biological field assessments in difficult environmental situations. The IRT system will be utilized for studies that address behavior, ecology, andphysiological requirements for species of bats, lizards, migratory, ground-nesting birds, and carnivorous plants. Thermoregulation in lizards, insects, carnivorous plants, and several bat species will be investigated. Ground-based thermal imaging data to assess variation in energy balance from soils, individual leaves, and entire vegetation canopies will enable validation of computer models and space-based thermal remote sensing of land surfaces. Census data will be collected of migratory, ground-nesting birds and Brazilian free-tailed bats; field surveys will be made of foliage roosting bats. Several proposed studies involve the ecologically-important, Brazilian free-tailed bats which roost in the Southwest U.S. These particular bats provide one of the most impressive examples of a continental-scale, natural pest-control service in North America through consumption of enormous quantities of agricultural pests that could ultimately affect the Central U.S. corn belt. IRT technology will produce reliable estimates of the size and activity of the bat colonies, quantify aspects of insect life cycle and infestation, and ultimately link levels of bat activity and feeding with levels of insect infestation, crop damage, and the need for pesticides. Studies are proposed that will provide a better understanding of the behavior and ecological impact of a variety of animal species, provide new insight into the life processes of carnivorous plants, and validate larger-scale, space-based, remote sensing data and computer models for large land areas.The broader scope of research with this instrumentation is to develop a clearer picture ofthe complex processes within an ecosystem that regulate how water, energy, and carbon are exchanged between soil and vegetation. Research projects will also provide trainingopportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral scientists. Projects will also use the visually striking images captured by the IRT system to communicate new discoveries to a broad public audience via articles in popular media, textbooks, TV, and on the world wide web.