Large Seeds, Bats, and Tents: A Neotropical Dispersal Story

Elías-Díaz D.; Sánchez-Calderón R.; Salas-Solano D.; Martínez-Rodríguez M.A.; Good K.; Alvarez-Clare S.; Venticinque E.; Medellín R.A.; Rodríguez-Herrera B. · Biotropica (2026) · DOI: 10.1111/btp.70232

Resumen

The story of seed dispersal by frugivorous bats (Family: Phyllostomidae) in Neotropical ecosystems has been extensively documented over the years, with most studies focusing on small seeds that can be ingested and dispersed during flight. However, other components of bat-mediated seed dispersal have been rarely studied. Through our review, we highlight the understudied role of bats as dispersers of large seeds and present the remarkable group of tent-roosting bat species as a model to review the existing evidence of this ecological process. We provide evidence on the key role of eight species of tent-roosting bats in the dispersal of 104 plant species, belonging to 77 genera and 40 families. We show that Artibeus and Dermanura bat genera play a key role in the topology of large-seeded dispersal networks, with core plant genera, including Brosimum and Spondias. Our results show that tent-roosting bats consume fruits with a wide diversity of colors, shapes, and sizes, but there are predominant traits within plant species dispersed. In addition, a total of 26 plant species had at least one recorded use and trade category, and three plant species were identified as having a threatened status. While this review makes significant progress towards understanding the role of this diverse and abundant group of bats across the Neotropical region, more information is needed in order to better understand this fascinating and complex ecological process.