Inventory of Plants Dispersed by Bats in a Neotropical Forest

Scott a . Mori和Tatyana a . Lobova蝙蝠在热带森林开花植物的传播中起着重要作用。它们对植物在森林缝隙和人造空地上的定植尤其重要。拟议项目的目标是清点法属圭亚那森林中被蝙蝠传播的植物；创建一个基于形态学、解剖学和分子数据的识别蝙蝠分散植物的工具；并解决蝙蝠与植物相互作用的假设。该项目将由圭亚那植物区系专家Scott Mori博士指导，并将利用传播生物学和植物形态学专家Tatyana Lobova博士的专业知识。为了实现拟议的目标，将加强和更新基于网络的蝙蝠/植物相互作用数据库，将出版一份法属圭亚那中部蝙蝠传播的植物描述清单，并将编制一份蝙蝠传播的种子图集。该项目将对新热带雨林中可能由蝙蝠传播的所有植物进行首次全社区清查，并编制鉴定蝙蝠传播物种的指南。这些信息对于了解雨林的再生和保护至关重要。该项目将对更好地理解植物/动物共同进化产生广泛影响，并将指出蝙蝠在热带生态系统中发挥的重要生态和进化作用。这项研究将促进蝙蝠及其赖以生存的植物的保护。

Inventory of Plants Dispersed by Bats in a Neotropical Forest Scott A. Mori and Tatyana A. Lobova Bats play an important role in the dispersal of flowering plants in tropical forests. They are especially critical in the colonization of plants into forest gaps and man-made clearings. The goals of the proposed project are to inventory plants dispersed by bats in the forests of French Guiana; to create a tool for the identification of bat-dispersed plants based on morphological, anatomical, and molecular data; and to address hypotheses about bat/plant interactions. This project will be directed by Dr. Scott Mori, a specialist in the Guianan flora, and will utilize the expertise of Dr. Tatyana Lobova, a specialist in dispersal biology and plant morphology. To accomplish the proposed goals, a Web-based bat/plant interaction database will be enhanced and updated, a list with descriptions of the plants dispersed by bats in central French Guiana will be published and, an illustrated atlas of the seeds dispersed by bats will be created.This project will result in the first community-wide inventory of all plants potentially dispersed by bats in a Neotropical rain forest and in the production of a guide for the identification of bat-dispersed species. This information is essential for understanding rain forest regeneration and conservation. The project will have a broad impact in achieving a better understanding of plant/animal co-evolution and will point out the important ecological and evolutionary roles that bats play in tropical ecosystems. This study will promote the conservation of bats and the plants upon which they depend.