Seed Dispersal in the Dark: Shedding Light on the Role of Fruit Bats in Africa

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dc.contributor.authorSeltzer, Carrie E.
dc.contributor.authorNdangalasi, Henry J.
dc.contributor.authorCordeiro, Norbert J.
dc.date.accessioned2016-07-08T11:57:00Z
dc.date.available2016-07-08T11:57:00Z
dc.date.issued2013-06
dc.description.abstractIn spite of their recognized importance as seed dispersers in other parts of the tropics, seed dispersal by fruit bats has received scant research attention in Africa. To evaluate the role of African fruit bats in seed dispersal, we studied fruits and seeds below 480 bat feeding roosts in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. We compared these findings to those reported in other African localities to place our results in a broader context. We found 49 plant species dispersed by bats: 28 species, 18 genera, and one family are novel reports of bat dispersal in Africa. Approximately 20 percent of the submontane tree flora of the East Usambaras is bat-dispersed, including both widespread and endemic trees. African fruit bats are important seed dispersers at our study site because they move seeds of dozens of species tens or hundreds of meters, even seeds that are too large to ingest (greater than 5 mm in length). Fruit bats are likely important seed dispersers in other Afrotropical forests, as bats elsewhere in Africa are known to consume 20 genera and 16 species of plants reported here. Insights from studying remains under bat feeding roosts offer a simple method to further document and substantially increase our understanding of the role of African fruit bats in seed dispersal.en_US
dc.identifier.citationSeltzer, C.E., Ndangalasi, H.J. and Cordeiro, N.J., 2013. Seed dispersal in the dark: shedding light on the role of fruit bats in Africa. Biotropica, 45(4), pp.450-456.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/btp.12029
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11810/2862
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherWileyen_US
dc.subjectAmani Nature Reserveen_US
dc.subjectBat roostsen_US
dc.subjectEast Usambara Mountainsen_US
dc.subjectForest regenerationen_US
dc.subjectFrugivoryen_US
dc.subjectPteropodidaeen_US
dc.subjectTanzaniaen_US
dc.titleSeed Dispersal in the Dark: Shedding Light on the Role of Fruit Bats in Africaen_US
dc.typeJournal Article, Peer Revieweden_US
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