Bats fertilize tropical trees: A win-win situation in the rainforest

Date:

June 10, 2015

Source:

Forschungsverbund Berlin e.V. (FVB)

Summary:

Bats in tropical regions are fertilizing trees with their excretions. An international team of scientists recently discovered that seeds of a tropical tree species, which regularly hosts bats in large hollows, contain nutrients from bat excreta. Many tropical ecosystems are low in nutrients. Especially phosphorus and nitrogen are essential for plant growth and their availability limits the productivity of plants. Past studies showed that plants in nutrient-poor environments use animal-derived nutrients on a large-scale basis.

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