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The fruit bat Artibeus lituratus as a forest and city dweller
Abstract and Figures
The natural history of the phyllostomid bat Artibeus lituratus is here briefly compared for a forest tract and the urbane area of a medium-sized city in SE Brazil. This fruit bat roosts singly or in small groups (harems) and uses liana growths, frondose trees, or palmate palm trees as day cover. It forages singly or in pairs, feeding mostly on fruits although flower nectar, leaves, and insects are consumed as well. Twelve plant species in the forest and 15 species in the city were recorded as food source, and 10 of these were found in both environments. This fruit bat acts as seed disperser of several colonizing plant species. Roosting on trees, feeding on fruits, and living in small groups seem traits favorable to the colonization of urbane habitats by bats in neotropical areas. Artibeus lituratus is one of the commonest urbane fruit bats in several places, including megalopolis such as São Paulo. Reduction in the number of roost and food plants may be a way to manage fruit bats under certain circumstances. However, the preservation of small forest tracts as urbane reserves is wise to maintain these seed dispersers important to forest regeneration.
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... Feeding roosts are usually distinct trees less than 200 m from the tree of the consumed fruit (Marques & Fischer, 2009;Morrison, 1980;Sugiyama et al., 2018). Bats display a tendency to select trees as feeding roosts based on the presence of nearby fruiting trees (Morrison & Handley Jr., 1991;Sazima et al., 1994;Trevelin et al., 2013). This behavior is believed to be facilitated, in part, by their capacity to detect the presence of fruiting trees using olfactory cues (Mikich et al., 2003) in correlation with the fruiting tree phenology in the surrounding area. ...
... They can also be invasive species vectors (Corlett, 2005;Guix, 2007;McConkey et al., 2012). Some large generalist fruit bats are abundant and widely distributed in urban areas and can consume diverse native and exotic fruit species (Nunes et al., 2017;Sazima et al., 1994). ...
In urban ecosystems, bats play an essential role in seed dispersal, which is facilitated by their use of feeding roosts. However, there are several knowledge gaps in this ecosystem service that bats provide in urban areas. We aimed to describe the fruits consumed by bats in an urban area, the selection and use of feeding roosts, and the patterns of seed dispersal by fruit bats in a Brazilian city. We collected and identified the seeds deposited under feeding roosts and tested for differences in the size of the seed of fruits consumed by bats and the seeds of fruits available in the study area. We also captured and identified bats feeding near roosts using mist nets and assessed the vegetation structure and urban variables that might influence the bats' tree choice for roosts. We found that Artibeus lituratus , Artibeus planirostris , and Platyrrhinus lineatus potentially used feeding roosts and preferred the tallest trees, which were located further away from artificial light. The average distance of seed dispersal was 105.5 meters, and the average size of the dispersed seeds did not differ from the seeds of the fruits available in the area, suggesting that bats are not limited to dispersing only tiny seeds. However, the prevalence of exotic seeds raises concerns that bats may spread exotic species, especially in surrounding protected areas. These results highlight the importance of frugivorous bats as significant seed dispersers in urban areas and emphasize the need for further research to understand their role in shaping urban ecosystems.
Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.
... There are still many uncertainties regarding folivory in bats, and there is no consensus, for example, if it is done only by specific groups within a colony (SAZIMA et al., 1994;DIAZ, 1995;NEL-SON et al., 2005;ROCHA et al., 2016), if there is a preference for a certain leaf age (ZORTÉA; MENDES, 1993;DIAZ, 1995;PEREIRA et al., 2017) or for a specific portion of the leaves (KUNZ; DIAZ, 1995;CORDERO-SCHIMIDT et al., 2016;DUQUE-MÁRQUEZ et al., 2019). The seasonality of this event is also unclear and debated (ZORTÉA; MENDES, 1993;FARIA, 1996;TAN et al., 1998;BOBROWIEC;CUNHA, 2010;RUIZ-RAMONI et al., 2011;CORDERO-SCHIMIDT et al., 2016). ...
... The age, reproductive and sexual classes of bats including leaves in their diet were described only in four articles, three of which reported adult males (SAZIMA et al., 1994;DIAZ, 1995;ROCHA et al., 2016) and one adult females (BERNARD, 1997) as the potential consumers of this food item. The former are believed to be harem males avoiding being away for long periods to protect their colonies and thereby ending up consuming items near their roosts (KUNZ; DIAZ, 1995). ...
Leaves have been identified as a resource for food or water supplementation in the diet of neotropical bats, and their consumption may be influenced by various factors, including the bat's preference for a particular plant species or its age group. This study aimed to determine the current state of knowledge of folivory among neo-tropical bats. Information from all available years up to 2019 was organized quantitatively and qualitatively using the academic databases Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Periodicals Capes. The search used combinations of keywords, including "Folivory" and "Bats," "Leaves" and "Bats," and "Chiroptera" and "Folivory." The search yielded 25 articles, 65.3% of which were conducted in Brazil. Most of these articles (56%) did not focus on folivory. Among those that did, leaf consumption by bats was described for nine species of neotropical bats, with Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) being the most extensively studied species. The consumption of leaves by bats was observed in 17 plant species. Only two articles reported on the classes (age, reproductive, and sexual) of bats that consumed leaves; three investigated foraging time; seven examined seasonality; three attempted to explain the factors that contribute to folivory, and only one analyzed the chemical composition of the leaves. Three studies reported a preference for a specific age of leaves, while four studies described the specific portions of leaves that were preferably consumed by bats. Despite an increasing number of studies on folivory, there are still significant gaps that hinder a complete understanding of the actual role of this behavior in the ecology of neotropical bats.
... Fêmeas grávidas foram registradas em fevereiro, setembro e novembro; e fêmeas lactantes, em abril, setembro e novembro. Como abrigo diurno, utilizam folhagens densas, como agregados de lianas e copas de palmeiras, mas também cavernas ou grutas (Trajano, 1987;Sazima et al., 1994;W. Fischer & E. Fischer, 1995). ...
A Bacia do Alto Paraguai (BAP) inclui a planície inundável do Pantanal e as áreas altas no entorno que drenam para o rio Paraguai, uma região de transição entre quatro grandes domínios fitofisionômicos da América do Sul – Cerrado, Chaco, Amazônia e Mata Atlântica. A fauna da região é pobre em endemismos, porém as posições central e transicional no continente conferem enorme riqueza de animais vertebrados, oriundos de diferentes domínios, especialmente quanto à ordem Chiroptera. Aqui, revisamos as espécies de morcegos registradas na BAP e apresentamos mapas de distribuição e breve descrição de cada espécie, incluindo dados de tamanho, forma, cor, ambientes, abrigos, hábito alimentar e interações com predadores e parasitas. Encontramos registro de 93 espécies em sete famílias – Emballonuridae (3), Noctilionidae (2), Mormoopidae (2), Phyllostomidae (51), Natalidae (1), Molossidae (20) e Vespertilionidae (14). Foram registradas 66 espécies na planície e 84 no entorno; com 59 espécies reportadas na planície e no entorno. Quase dois terços das espécies (63%) foram registrados em cinco ou mais localidades na BAP, e um quinto (19%) em apenas uma localidade. A fauna de morcegos da BAP destaca a grande importância dessa região para a manutenção da diversidade de morcegos na América do Sul.
... The behavior of frugivorous bats hunting actively for insects is almost unknown. Sazima et al. (1994) observed A. lituratus catching insects during dusk and dawn, and Tuttle (1968) described active hunting by A. jamaicensis. Despite the few direct observations, the presence of arthropods in diet surveys of frugivorous phyllostomids, including relatively high percentages as in our study, suggests an active seeking behavior, at least seasonally. ...
Most ecological studies of chiropteran diets report that phyllostomid bats of the subfamilies Stenodermatinae, Carolliinae, and Rhinophyllinae feed principally on fruits. Nevertheless, under certain circumstances, some species can consume a considerable amount of other food resources (nectar/pollen, leaves, and arthropods) as dietary complements to meet their nutritional requirements. We found a relatively high consumption of arthropods by frugivorous phyllostomids as a result of an analysis of feces from a bat community in a lowland forest of northeastern Peru during the dry season. A total of 290 bats (30 species) were captured, from which 188 were frugivorous phyllostomids (13 species). Fecal samples with arthropod remnants were obtained from bats of the genera Artibeus, Carollia, Sturnira, and Rhinophylla, which corresponded to 45% of the samples obtained from the complete assemblage of frugivorous phyllostomids. For three Artibeus species (A. lituratus, A. obscurus, and A. planirostris), arthropods were found in half or more of their fecal samples. This relatively high consumption of arthropods did not significantly differ between male and female frugivorous bats. Findings could be related to a low availability of fruits and high availability of arthropods during the study period.
... Information on the interactions among nectar-feeding vertebrates and flowers were 498 compiled from Ruschi 1949, Vogel 1968, Sazima 1976, Sazima and Sazima 1977, 499 1978, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1995, Sazima et al. 1993, 1994a,b, 1995a,b, 1996 are needed about other groups of nectar-feeding vertebrates and birds besides 667 hummingbirds, since the former are poorly represented when compared to trochilids 668 (Table 2). 669 ...
Flowering plant species and their nectar‐feeding vertebrates exemplify some of the most remarkable biotic interactions in the Neotropics. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, several species of birds (especially hummingbirds), bats, and non‐flying mammals, as well as one lizard feed on nectar, often act as pollinators and contribute to seed output of flowering plants. We present a dataset containing information on flowering plants visited by nectar‐feeding vertebrates and sampled at 166 localities in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. This dataset provides information on 1902 unique interactions among 515 species of flowering plants and 129 species of potential vertebrate pollinators and the patterns of species diversity across latitudes. All plant–vertebrate interactions compiled were recorded through direct observations of visits, and no inferences of pollinators based on floral syndromes were included. We also provide information on the most common plant traits used to understand the interactions between flowers and nectar‐feeding vertebrates: plant growth form, corolla length, rate of nectar production per hour in bagged flowers, nectar concentration, flower color and shape, time of anthesis, presence or absence of perceptible fragrance by human, and flowering phenology as well as the plant’s threat status by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classification. For the vertebrates, status of threat by IUCN classification, body mass, bill or rostrum size are provided. Information on the frequency of visits and pollen deposition on the vertebrate’s body is provided from the original source when available. The highest number of unique interactions is recorded for birds (1771) followed by bats (110). For plants, Bromeliaceae contains the highest number of unique interactions (606), followed by Fabaceae (242) and Gesneriaceae (104). It is evident that there was geographical bias of the studies throughout the southeast of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and that most effort was directed to flower–hummingbird interactions. However, it reflects a worldwide tendency of more plants interacting with birds compared with other vertebrate species. The lack of similar protocols among studies to collect basic data limits the comparisons among areas and generalizations. Nevertheless, this dataset represents a notable effort to organize and highlight the importance of vertebrate pollinators in this hotspot of biodiversity on Earth and represents the data currently available. No copyright or proprietary restrictions are associated with the use of this data set. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications or scientific events.
... -Urticaceae Cecropia glaziovii Snethl. 6,9,10,15,16,18,23,22,26,28 ...
The great fruit-eating bat (Artibeus lituratus) is a large-sized species that forages primarily on fruits. This species is widespread throughout the Neotropics, where it is common in natural areas and also occupies forest patches and cities. In this study, we review the composition of Artibeus lituratus diet in Brazil as well as the size of fruits and seeds, plant geographic origin, and sampling methods used in natural versus urban habitats. We show that Artibeus lituratus is able to consume a higher proportion of exotic fruits with large seeds in urban environments than in natural areas. Fruit diameter was not statistically different between environments, but both fruit and seed diameters are smaller when detected by fecal sampling than by other methods. This difference is likely due to the fact that in natural habitats studies are predominantly based on fecal samples, which hinders the detection of large unswallowed seeds. Consequently, we recommend the use of complementary sampling methods (not only the widely used technique of fecal sorting) in order to produce more accurate descriptions of frugivorous bats' diets. We suggest that the ability to exploit fruits of exotic plant species including the ones with large seeds may be a key trait for the persistence of A. lituratus in urban habitats.
... and Ficus spp. by bats of the genus Artibeus has already been reported by Fleming (1986), Galetti;Morellato (1994), Marinho-Filho (1992), Sazima et al. (1994) and Zortea; Chiarello (1994). According to Fleming (1986) and Passos et al. (2003) Artibeus lituratus is considered as a specialist in Cecropiaceae (= Urticaceae) and Moraceae fruits. ...
A list of bats from the Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca (PEPB), a protected area of the Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) is presented. Thirty species of four bat families were recorded through field work and compilation of bibliographic data. Phyllostomidae was the most representative family (twenty-three species), while Noctilionidae, Molossidae and Vespertilionidae were the least frequent. The presence of Plathyrrinus recifinus (Thomas, 1901), Chiroderma doriae Thomas, 1891 and Mimon bennettii (Gray, 1838), all considered endangered in the State of Rio de Janeiro, and Lonchophylla peracchii Dias, Esbérard & Moratelli, 2013, highlights the need for protection of the area and the development of more detailed studies on the chiropterofauna of the region.
... This result may be explained by the fact that most of the recorded species is not dependent on floral or fruitful specific resources, thus would not be influenced by environmental conditions according to the season. Insectivore bats compose most species roadkilled, the most numerous was A. lituratus, capable of feeding on extensive amount of resources such as dozens of fruits, leaves, nectar, and insects (e.g., Zortea & Mendes 1993, Sazima et al. 1994, Zortea & Chiarello 1994, Passos & Graciolli 2004. The combination of high environmental flexibility, large body mass, slow flight, and inaccurate echolocation contribute to the fact that A.lituratus and other frugivore and nectarivore species are more likely to have higher roadkill rates. ...
We describe a group of Dwarf Little Fruit bats (Rhinophylla pumilio) using the Buriti palm (Mauritia flexuosa) as day roost in a Cerrado area in Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil. With ten individuals roosting under a dry Buriti palm leaf, we estimate that the group was composed of five females and their young. This is the first record of R. pumilio using leaves of M. flexuosa, and the third publication reporting the use of leaves of
this palm as shelter by Phyllostomidae fruit bats.
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