Does frugivory in Citharexylum solanaceum (Verbenaceae) drive nomadism in the Ipanema bat Pygoderma bilabiatum (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)?

Abstract

ABSTRACT Neotropical bats are recognized as effective seed dispersers, especially of small-seeded pioneer plants during early stages of forest regeneration. There had been few reports on the ecology of the bat Pygoderma bilabiatum (Wagner, 1843), which appears to be mainly frugivorous and to undertake vertical migrations in Brazil. Our analyzes of fecal samples of P. bilabiatum specimens captured in mist nets and direct observations of their feeding behavior on Citharexylum solanaceum Cham. fruits in a mosaic of restored forests and forest fragments in southeastern Brazil constitute one of the few records of consumption of large-seeded fruits by P. bilabiatum, and indicate that it may be an important disperser for large-seeded plants. We found evidence that the temporal availability of those fruits may influence the movement ecology of those bats.

Keywords

• Movements
• philopatry
• fruit-bat interactions
• seed dispersal