Abstract

AROCA, Ana Karina; GONZALEZ, Luz Ángela; HURTADO, María Alejandra  and  MURILLO GARCIA, Oscar E.. Diet Preference in Frugivorous Bats (Phyllostomidae) within a Fragment of Dry Tropical Forest. rev. cienc. [online]. 2016, vol.20, n.spe, pp.139-146. ISSN 0121-1935.

Seed dispersal is an important process for tropical ecosystems stability, with fruit bats (family Phyllostomidae) acting as key dispersers in tropical forests. The goal of this study was to evaluate diet preference of fruit bats in a tropical dry forest. Consequently, bats were captured with mist nets, feces were collected and seeds were extracted for identification. Seeds were found in five of the frugivorous species: Sturnira lillium, Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata, C. castanea and Uroderma bilobatum. According to predictions, S. lilium and species of the genus Carollia (C. perspicillata and C. castanea) showed diet preference for plants of the genera Solanum and Piper; respectively. Additionally, Ficus seeds were present in all bat species captured, which confirm the role of this genus as key species for tropical forests. The results suggest that diet preferences can be important for the interaction of the most common species in the study area, C. perspicillata and S. lilium, since it may avoid competition between these species of very similar sizes

Keywords : Ficus; Piper; Solanum; Carollia; Sturnira; seed dispersion.

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