In urban ecosystems, bats play an essential role in seed dispersal, which is facilitated by their use of feeding roosts. However, there are several knowledge gaps in this ecosystem service that bats provide in urban areas. We aimed to describe the fruits consumed by bats in an urban area, the selection and use of feeding roosts, and the patterns of seed dispersal by fruit bats in a Brazilian city. We collected and identified the seeds deposited under feeding roosts and tested for differences in the size of the seed of fruits consumed by bats and the seeds of fruits available in the study area. We also captured and identified bats feeding near roosts using mist nets and assessed the vegetation structure and urban variables that might influence the bats' tree choice for roosts. We found that Artibeus lituratus, Artibeus planirostris, and Platyrrhinus lineatus potentially used feeding roosts and preferred the tallest trees, which were located further away from artificial light. The average distance of seed dispersal was 105.5 meters, and the average size of the dispersed seeds did not differ from the seeds of the fruits available in the area, suggesting that bats are not limited to dispersing only tiny seeds. However, the prevalence of exotic seeds raises concerns that bats may spread exotic species, especially in surrounding protected areas. These results highlight the importance of frugivorous bats as significant seed dispersers in urban areas and emphasize the need for further research to understand their role in shaping urban ecosystems.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material. Os morcegos desempenham um papel essencial na dispersao de sementes nos ecossistemas urbanos, facilitada pela utilizacao de pousos de alimentacao. No entanto, existem varias lacunas de conhecimento relacionadas a esse servico ecossistemico nas areas urbanas. Nosso objetivo foi avaliar quais frutos foram consumidos, como foi feita a selecao e o uso dos pousos de alimentacao, e os padroes de dispersao de sementes por morcegos frugivoros em uma area urbana. As sementes depositadas nos pousos foram coletadas e identificadas e as sementes dos frutos consumidos e dos frutos disponiveis na area de estudo foram avaliadas quanto a diferenca de tamanho. Morcegos que forrageavam proximo aos pousos foram capturados com o uso de redes de neblina e as variaveis urbanas que podiam influenciar a escolha da arvore como pouso e a estrutura de vegetacao foram medidas. Artibeus lituratus, Artibeus planirostris e Platyrrhinus lineatus sao as especies que potencialmente preferiram arvores mais altas, localizadas mais longe da fonte de luz artificial e utilizaram pousos para alimentacao. A media da distancia minima de dispersao das sementes foi de 105.5 metros e nao houve diferenca entre o tamanho medio das sementes dispersas e das sementes dos frutos disponiveis na area. Esses dados evidenciam que a dispersao de sementes por morcegos nao e limitada pelo pequeno tamanho das sementes. No entanto, e preocupante a prevalencia de sementes exoticas que podem ser dispersadas especialmente para as areas protegidas circundantes. Enfatizamos aqui o importante papel dos morcegos frugivoros na dispersao de sementes em areas urbanas e a necessidade de melhor compreensao desse servico na dinamica de ecossistemas urbanos. We aimed to describe the fruits consumed by bats in an urban area, the selection and use of feeding roosts, and the patterns of seed dispersal by fruit bats in a Brazilian city. We found that Artibeus lituratus, Artibeus planirostris, and Platyrrhinus lineatus potentially used feeding roosts and preferred the tallest trees, which were located further away from artificial light. The average distance of seed dispersal was 105.5 meters, and the average size of the dispersed seeds did not differ from the seeds of the fruits available in the area, suggesting that bats are not limited to dispersing only tiny seeds.image
