Fake fruits could help restore rainforest

nomad submitted, created time 1 year 9 months (www.nature.com)

Bats can be lured into large areas of destroyed rainforest with fake fruits, researchers have found. This, they say, could be the key to restoring patchy parts of the landscape.

South American leaf-nosed bats of the family Phyllostomidae defaecate the seeds of the fruits they have eaten as they fly. This process, known as 'seed rain', aids plant dispersal throughout the rainforest.

Keywords: bat rainforest fake fruits ecological agricultural South Africa