Rousettus madagascariensis (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) shows a preference for native and commercially unimportant fruits

Abstract

Flight cage choice experiments carried out over 4 mo demonstrated that a Malagasy fruit bat, Rousettus madagascariensis G. Grandidier, 1928, prefers native or introduced fruit of no commercial value (Ficus polita, Syzygium jambos and S. malaccense) to commercially important fruits (Litchi chinensis and Diospyros kaki). We presented 10 fruit species to the bats: one native (F. polita) and the remainder introduced, 3 of which are commercially important. Most bats responded to fruit presented in a flight cage. Bats swallowed fruit juice and pulp and spat out the fibre of all fruit species provided except L. chinensis and Eugenia jambolana, the flesh of which was swallowed. Chemical composition was the most important determinant of selection by bats. Feeding preference was evidenced by large amounts of chewed pulp, repeated visits to the same fruits and more intensive feeding on lipid-and calcium-rich fruit species. Although commercially important fruit such as L. chinensis and D. kaki tended to have higher fructose content than other species, our results indicate that lipid and calcium content were more important in fruit selection. We suggest that maintaining natural food availability in humid forests and providing alternative sources of fruit (e.g. Syzygium spp.) may contribute to limiting the damage caused by R. madagascariensis to commercially important crops.

The Conflict Between Pteropodid Bats and Fruit Growers: Species, Legislation and Mitigation

“…However, the flying foxes in this study consistently avoided figs, which are excellent sources of calcium (Nelson et al 2005). In the last study, bats were found to prefer native and commercially unimportant figs (F. polita), rose apple (Syzygium jambos) and mountain apple (S. malaccense) to the cash crops of lychees and persimmon (Andrianaivoarivelo et al 2012). These important results provide a perspective on the dietary preferences of pteropodids and should be repeated with other species.…”

“…Studies from Cyprus, Israel, Madagascar and Pakistan have shown that fruit bats prefer native wild fruits compared to commercial fruit crops (Korine et al 1999;Mahmood-Ul-Hassan et al 2010;Del Vaglio et al 2011;Andrianaivoarivelo et al 2012). These findings can be used as a compelling argument in mitigating conflict with orchardists (Del Vaglio et al 2011) and to prevent deliberate killing of bats for crop protection.…”

“…This was exacerbated in 1999 and 2000 by a decrease in native food, with McLachlan (2002) reporting a similar issue for the 2000/2001 season. Yet there is some evidence that flying foxes will cease to feed on commercial fruit crops if their native food sources again become available in the wild (Eby 1990;Andrianaivoarivelo et al 2012). The solution may thus consist of a careful selection of preferred tree species planted in appropriate locations away from fruit orchards (Law et al 2002).…”

“…However, only a few studies have sought rigorously to establish feeding preferences: Korine et al (1998) for R. aegyptiacus, Yapa et al (1999) for C. sphinx, Nelson et al (2005) for the Pacific flying fox (Pteropus tonganus), and Andrianaivoarivelo et al (2012) for the Madagascan rousette (Rousettus madagascariensis). Bats were briefly taken into captivity to assess their fruit preferences.…”

A comparison of the effectiveness of methods of deterring pteropodid bats from feeding on commercial fruit in Madagascar

“…In Madagascar, the Flying Fox Pteropus rufus, has a wide diet including some economically important introduced species such as Tamarindus indica leaves (Raheriarisena 2005), Agave sisalana pollen and nectar (Long & Racey 2007), Dimocarpus longan (Andrianaivoarivelo et al 2007) and Litchi chinensis fruits (Andrianaivoarivelo et al 2012). The Madagascar Rousette Rousettus madagascariensis also feeds on litchi fruits and banana (Goodman 1999), and the straw-coloured fruit bat Eidolon dupreanum includes guavas and passion fruit in its diet (Picot et al 2007).…”