Frugivory by phyllostomid bats (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae) in two cerrado urban remnants in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul

ABSTRACT Phyllostomid bats are potential seed dispersers, due to their foraging habit and great mobility, and are the main species responsible for regeneration of neotropical forests. In Mato Grosso do Sul, research on bats diets is concentrated in the Pantanal region, with few studies focusing on the Cerrado portion, and only one study from an urban area. The objective of this study was to analyze the diets of frugivorous phyllostomid bats from two urban remnants of Cerrado in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, evaluating whether the diet formulation of the species is based on preferences food. Bats were captured from two conservation units (the Dahma Ecological Station and Prosa State Park) for 12 nights in each area, using six mist nets, which were left open for six hours after sunset. After capture, each bat was kept in an individual cotton bag for one hour to collect a fecal sample. Fecal samples were individually stored in hermetic bottles, placed in glycerin, and then analyzed in the laboratory. All seeds found in the samples were identified. 250 bats were captured, distributed in ten species, eight genera, and two families. Phyllostomids constituted 93.2% of the captures (n = 233). The most frequent species were Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) (27.6%) and Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) (27.2%). Seeds were found in 46 fecal samples from seven species of phyllostomid bats. Most of the seeds found were from the family Piperaceae (69.6% of the samples), and was a key resource consumed by almost all phyllostomid species. Frugivores help maintain conservation units, as they promote self-renewal, and frugivory is an important process for forest remnants. Since these bats exclusively consumed pioneer species, they play a key role in maintaining these urban remnants of Cerrado.