Fruit-eating bats play a fundamental role in animal seed dispersal and should be considered key actors in tropical forest restoration.
We explored the use of commercial fruits as attractants for bats to increase seed dispersal to areas affected by forest fires in
southern Mexico. We captured bats and collected seeds from feces and seed rain at perturbed sample sites where mature bananas
and mangos were placed, and from non-treated control sites. Bat and bat-dispersed plant species richness and abundance were
analyzed, and the importance of each bat species as a disperser was evaluated. Additionally, germination boxes were set up to
evaluate the germination of seeds found in bat feces. We captured 724 individuals of 16 frugivorous bat species, 15 spp in treated
and 12 spp in control sites. Sowell’s Short-tailed bat, Toltec Fruit-eating bat and the Western Long-tongued bat showed higher
abundances in treated sites, suggesting that these three species were attracted by fruits. The most important disperser was the
Sowell’s Short-tailed bat, followed by the Jamaican Fruit-eating and Toltec Fruit-eating bat. A greater proportion of pioneer species
and trees, followed by shrubs, were found in the overall bat diet. The germination percentage was > 50%, suggesting that the use
of fruits to attract bats can be a feasible wildlife management activity to encourage the succession process. We recommend further
studies to test and improve this activity.