Frugivorous bats respond differently to changes in the landscape, depending on their morphological and ecological characteristics, so only some species cross deforested areas and disperse seeds in these environments. In this study we analyzed the plant species dispersed by bats in tropical rain forest and patches of secondary vegetation of a forest reserve in Mesoamerica. We expected that the most common bat species in secondary vegetation would be the most important dispersers, favoring the regeneration of vegetation, compared to those that forage mainly in tropical forest. With a capture effort of 5520 net hours, we caught 1718 bats representing 16 frugivorous species. Based on the analyses of fecal samples the most common plants in the bats' diets were pioneer species, mainly from the families Piperaceae, Urticaceae, Solanaceae, Fabaceae, and Muntingiaceae. The most important bat species to seed dispersal in the secondary vegetation were Carollia sowelli, Sturnira lilium, Glossophaga soricina and Carollia perspicillata. Principal components analysis separated the two species of Carollia and S. lilium, whose diets were dominated by plants of the family Piperaceae, from bat species that forage mainly in the tropical forest and whose diets were dominated by plants from the families Moraceae and Anacardiaceae.
How to translate text using browser tools
1 June 2012
Seed Dispersal by Phyllostomid Bats in Two Contrasting Vegetation Types in a Mesoamerican Reserve
Alejandro A. Castro-Luna,
Jorge Galindo-González
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
Acta Chiropterologica
Vol. 14 • No. 1
June 2012
Vol. 14 • No. 1
June 2012
Chiroptera
diversity conservation
frugivores
Mexico
secondary forest
Tropical rain forest
Vegetation restoration