Frugivory of bats in a threatened semiarid region in southeastern Brazil

Abstract

Fruit bats have a high seed dispersal capacitycontributing to the establishmentof numerous plant species. In this workweexamined the frugivorous diet of phyllostomid bats in the Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, north of Minas Gerais,Brazil,anecotone regionof Caatinga and Cerrado biomes. Four expeditions were carried out between December 2008 and November 2009, totalling 80 nights of sampling, to collect data and feces from captured bats.The highest number of fecalsamples wereprovided by Artibeus planirostrisand Carollia perspicillata. Four plant families were registered, the largest number for Cecropiaceae, followed by Solanaceae; Piperaceae, and Moraceae.