*Center for Ecology and Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Computer Science, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Integr Comp Biol. 2008 Jul;48(1):50-9. doi: 10.1093/icb/icn053. Epub 2008 Jun 20.
The night sky remains a largely unexplored frontier for biologists studying the behavior and physiology of free-ranging, nocturnal organisms. Conventional imaging tools and techniques such as night-vision scopes, infrared-reflectance cameras, flash cameras, and radar provide insufficient detail for the scale and resolution demanded by field researchers. A new tool is needed that is capable of imaging noninvasively in the dark at high-temporal and spatial resolution. Thermal infrared imaging represents the most promising such technology that is poised to revolutionize our ability to observe and document the behavior of free-ranging organisms in the dark. Herein we present several examples from our research on free-ranging bats that highlight the power and potential of thermal infrared imaging for the study of animal behavior, energetics and censusing of large colonies, among others. Using never-before-seen video footage and data, we have begun to answer questions that have puzzled biologists for decades, as well as to generate new hypotheses and insight. As we begin to appreciate the functional significance of the aerosphere as a dynamic environment that affects organisms at different spatial and temporal scales, thermal infrared imaging can be at the forefront of the effort to explore this next frontier.
对于研究自由活动的夜间生物的行为和生理学的生物学家来说，夜空仍然是一个很大程度上未被探索的领域。传统的成像工具和技术，如夜视镜、红外线反射相机、闪光灯相机和雷达，对于野外研究人员所需的规模和分辨率来说提供的细节不足。需要一种新的工具，能够在黑暗中以高时间和空间分辨率进行非侵入性成像。热红外成像是最有前途的技术之一，它有望彻底改变我们在黑暗中观察和记录自由活动生物行为的能力。在此，我们展示了我们在研究自由活动蝙蝠方面的几个例子，这些例子突出了热红外成像在研究动物行为、大型群体的能量学和计数等方面的强大功能和潜力。使用以前从未见过的视频片段和数据，我们已经开始回答困扰生物学家数十年的问题，并提出新的假设和见解。随着我们开始认识到大气层作为一个动态环境的功能意义，它会以不同的时空尺度影响生物，热红外成像可以在探索这个下一个前沿领域的努力中处于领先地位。
