Testing the Effectiveness of Synthetic Chemical Lures to Increase Fruit Bat-Mediated Seed Dispersal in a Tropical Forest

Abstract

Tropical deforestation is occurring at alarming rates, creating an urgent need for global prioritization of restoration efforts. One potential forest recovery strategy is to boost seed-dispersing animal activity (e.g., fruit-eating bats) to increase seed availability in degraded areas. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of synthetic chemical lures in attracting fruit bats and enhancing seed rain in northeastern Costa Rica. The chemical lures were composed of a few volatile organic compounds commonly found in ripe bat-dispersed fruits. Daily deployment of the chemical lures resulted in a significant increase in the capture of Carollia spp., a key neotropical seed disperser, but no detectable effect on other fruit bats. The 15-day deployment of chemical lures also increased the average of total seeds collected in seed traps. However, the effect of lures explained only a small portion of the total variance in seed rain, highlighting the potential context-dependency of these results. Still, in contrast to the previously studied essential oil-based lures, synthetic lures hold the potential to be applied across a broader spectrum of restoration initiatives due to simplified manufacturing and improved reproducibility. Although additional research is essential to understand the full potential for use in restoration efforts, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of synthetic chemical lures in attracting fruit bats and potentially augmenting seed rain.