Seed dispersal by frugivorous bats in Cerros de Amotape National Park, Tumbes, Peru

The role of fruit bats was evaluated in three habitat types of Cerros de Amotape National Park, Tumbes, Peru. The diet was quantified by analyzing the seeds found in fecal samples and testing the preference for plant resources, niche breadth, the importance of each bat species as dispersors, and the level of trophic niche overlap. We captured 33 species of bats, 13 were predominantly frugivorous and accounted for 81% of total captures. The diet was represented by 22 plant species predominantly consumed by six species of bats. The species with the largest niche breadth and considered important food dispersors were Artibeus fraterculus and Carollia perspicillata. There was a high overlap in resource use among the most common species of frugivorous bats captured. The high frequency of secondary succession plant species suggests that anthropogenic activities have a significant effect on forest composition affecting the diet of frugivorous canopy bats.