Abstract
The State Park Mata dos Godoy has 42 identified bat species, among which 21 are frugivorous and belong to the Phyllostomidae family. Current study investigated the concentrations of carbohydrate, lipid and protein in fruits consumed by Artibeus lituratus, Carollia perspicillata and Sturnira lilium to understand their potential differentiated food preferences. The Sampling effort it was from April/2013 to March/2014. Animals captured in mist nets were identified in the field and maintained in cotton bags for 30 minutes to defecate. The diet was inferred from fecal samples analyzed in the laboratory, the fruits whose seeds were found in the feces had the determinations of the nutrients accomplished by centesimal composition method. Kruskal-Wallis test and Dunn's multiple comparison method verified the most abundant nutrients for each species of bat. Whereas Carollia perspicillata and Sturnira lilium feeds mainly in food with carbohydrates that provide them with more energy, the diet of Artibeus lituratus is richer in carbohydrates and lipids. Only fruits considered scarcely represent a complete nutrition for the three bat species, however, the complementarity with other food items such as leaves, pollen, and insects, can provide a complete nutrient diet for these animals.
Highlights
Animals are strictly dependent on nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, for growth and reproduction
Ten plant species were detected on faeces, namely, Piper aduncum, Piper crassinervium, Piper glabratum, Piper gaudichaudianum, Piper umbellatum, Ficus insipida, Ficus sp, Solanum caavurana, Solanum granulosoleprosum and Solanum sisymbrifollium
When analyzed as a set of fruits consumed by C. perspicillata, S. lilium e A. lituratus, median values reveal greater amounts of carbohydrates and fewer protein amounts
Summary
Animals are strictly dependent on nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, for growth and reproduction. Carbohydrates and lipids are the main organic compounds in the diet of animals. When oxidized, they produce almost all the chemical energy for metabolism or energy-releasing reactions (Schmidt-Nielsen, 2011). The Basal Metabolism Rate (BMR), which represents, the minimum amount of energy required for the organisms activities (Odum, 2004), varies individually and depend on of different food strategies to meet distinct nutritional requirements (Bozinovic et al, 2007). Nutrition analyses focusing on the amounts of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in zoochoric foods are relevant to assess diet contents and for cognize the amount of these nutrients to which animals have access when they consume certain fruits
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