Overall, our estimates are conservative, because the bat likely
also feeds on other major rice pests in Asia such as the brown
planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens, Ståhl), for which no consumption
data is available yet.
While we used robust calculations and incorporated
all known variation to illustrate the utter importance of a
single species interaction for food security, validating our results
with field research in the near future is crucial.
Exclusion experiments
to confirm our results in the field should be coupled with
diet analyses focusing on a broad range of rice pests.