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Bats Could Help Restore Rainforest

Scientists who are trying to restore the world’s rainforests understand the importance of bat scat: In it you’ll find the seeds of hard-to-find, critical, native plants.

That’s why they’re luring South American leaf-nosed bats into damaged areas of the rainforest with fake fruit that has been doused in the essential oils of peppers, one of the bat’s favorite foods. They’re hoping that when the bats come looking for the fruit, they’ll drop some dung (and with it the properly digested plant seeds) into areas that have lost their biodiversity.

Why not simply plant the seeds themselves? Unfortunately, some plants native to the rainforest won’t grow until their seeds have been digested by, and then expelled from, bats. Others are simply difficult to find. Bats naturally help the rainforest maintain its biodiversity by dropping the seeds as they fly, dispersing them far and wide.

Researchers baiting the bats with fake fruits are simply helping nature take care of its own. After all, the bats need the rainforest as much as we do.

For more information about this story, visit http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=3122.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org