Abstract

CASALLAS-PABON, Diego; CALVO-ROA, Nathaly  and  ROJAS-ROBLES, Rosario. Seed Dispersal by Bats Over Successional Gradients in the Colombian Orinoquia (San Martin, Meta, Colombia). Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2017, vol.22, n.3, pp.348-358. ISSN 0120-548X.  https://doi.org/10.15446/abc.v22n3.63561.

Faunal seed dispersal plays a fundamental role in plant reproduction. Bats are one of the most important seed dispersers in Neotropical ecosystems. The objective of this research was to describe the bat community and seeds that are potentially dispersed in a successional gradient (savanna, woods, forest edge and riparian forest) in a locality of the Colombian Altillanura. We measured abundance, richness, and diversity of bats and the seeds found in their feces. 534 individuals belonging to four families and 39 species were captured. The most abundant species were Carollia perspicillata, Artibeus obscurus and Molossus molossus. C. perspicillata and A. obscurus presented the highest values in the seed dispersion index (DII). The records belong to six guilds, the most abundant being frugivores (sedentary and nomadic). The habitat with the greatest bat abundance and richness of species was the forest edge. A total of 11808 seeds with Cecropia engleriana were collected as the most abundant species. Successional states differed significantly in seed abundance but not in wealth, and certain genera showed dominance. Shrubs were highlighted for their dynamic succession and a potential flow of diverse seeds. Here bats play a fundamental role in seed dispersal since those flying over open areas have the same seed load for dispersal as those found in forest, exhibiting a regeneration potential that is contributed to by a bat community having a diverse structure in trophic groups and species.

Keywords : Chiroptera; ecological restoration; succession; trophic guilds.

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