Feeding Ecology of Carollia perspicillata (Phyllostomidae: Carolliinae) in the Atlantic Forest of Northeastern Brazil

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Abstract
Bats have been recorded dispersing the seeds of 549 Neotropical plant species. Diet composition and the processes that determine resource selection are fundamental to understanding animal ecology. The present study investigated the feeding ecology of Carollia perspicillata in an Atlantic Forest fragment in northeastern Brazil. Fecal samples were collected by placing two plastic tarpaulins on the ground directly below the colony for 72 hours per month over a one-year period. Phenological observations were conducted simultaneously at the study site. Approximately 323,400 seeds were collected and identified, representing 16 plant species in 12 families. Four of these species were classified as synzoochoric, whereas the majority were endozoochoric. Seeds of five plant species — Annona montana, Syagrus coronata, Senna georgica, Aegiphila vitelliniflora, and Chomelia obtusa — are reported here for the first time in the diet of C. perspicillata. Three species accounted for most of the seeds collected in the cave: Piper amalago with 160,594 seeds, Solanum paniculatum with 79,322 seeds, and Maclura tinctoria with 60,691 seeds. Although P. amalago contributed almost half of all seeds collected, no significant seasonal variation was detected in overall consumption patterns, species diversity, or seed abundance between the dry and rainy seasons. The feeding patterns recorded in the present study appear to reflect resource availability in the study area rather than a clear preference for particular plant species. This apparent lack of feeding preference may be related to the ecological characteristics of the study area, especially the reduced diversity of species of the genus Piper.

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