Dieta de morcegos frugívoros (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) em uma área de preservação ecotonal de Cerrado-Mata Atlântica no sudeste do Brasil
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Understanding the dietary ecology of frugivorous bats is essential for comprehending their trophic roles and resource use patterns in tropical ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the diet of seven frugivorous bat species of the family Phyllostomidae in the Quedas do Rio Bonito Ecological Park, a Cerrado-Atlantic Forest ecotonal area in southeastern Brazil. We analyzed niche breadth, niche overlap, and seasonal diet variation using both plant-based and bat-based matrices. Data were collected over eight months (December 2019 to September 2020), totaling 40 field days. We captured 256 bats belonging to 14 species from three families (Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae), of which 151 captures were of eight phyllostomid species (six frugivorous and two nectarivorous), and obtained 130 fecal samples, of which 79 contained seeds from seven plant families, with Piperaceae (14.9%), Solanaceae (10.6%), Hypericaceae (5.8%), and Urticaceae (4.3%) being the most representative. The most abundant bat species were Carollia perspicillata (n = 66), Sturnira lilium (n = 36), and Glossophaga soricina (n = 14). Carollia perspicillata exhibited the highest niche breadth (Bᵢ = 6.93), followed by S. lilium (Bᵢ = 5.71) and G. soricina (Bᵢ = 3.00). The observed community-level niche overlap (Oᵢₖ = 0.53) was not significantly different from random expectations, suggesting that the bat assemblage does not exhibit strong dietary structuring. PERMANOVA revealed no significant seasonal differences at the community level, whether analyzed using plant-based or bat-based matrices, and PERMDISP2 confirmed homogeneity of dispersions between seasons. However, species-specific analysis for C. perspicillata revealed a significant seasonal difference, driven by replacement between Piper aduncum (rainy season) and Piper umbellatum (dry season). For S. lilium, no significant seasonal difference was detected. Our results indicate a predominance of pioneer plants and seasonal resource switching by the most abundant species, highlighting the dietary flexibility of C. perspicillata in response to seasonal fruit availability.
Source: Heringeriana
Institutions: Universidade Federal de Lavras, Secretaria da Educação
Language: English
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Life on land, Zero hunger
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7223288100