habitat_narrative

Terrestrial

African Straw-coloured Fruit-bats are gregarious and live in colonies of several hundred individuals (Skinner & Chimimba 2005; Monadjem et al. 2010). This adaptable species has been recorded from a wide range of habitats: it is commonly found in tropical rain forest, including evergreen forest habitats, coastal (including mangrove) forest and riverine forest, through moist and dry savannah woodland mosaics (Mickleburgh et al. 2008). Populations can persist in human-modified habitats and the species is often recorded in urban areas, such as wooded city parks (ACR 2015). Colonies are rarely found in protected areas or in forests, but frequently near human habitations especially gardens, probably because there are fruit trees nearby (Webala et al. 2014). In Kenya, only a few colonies of African Straw-coloured Fruit-bats are known. This species has not currently been recorded breeding within the assessment region. This is wide-ranging species and individuals have been recorded foraging at distances of up to 59 km from their roosts (Monadjem et al. 2010), with one migrating bat recorded to have moved 370 km in one night and a cumulative 2,518 km in 149 days (Richter & Cumming 2008).

As their name suggests, the species primarily feeds on fruits (wild and cultivated) and flowers (Monadjem et al. 2010). While no information on their diet is available within the assessment region, it assumed that their diet is consistent with other African populations. In southern Africa, the seasonal appearances and disappearances of African Straw-coloured Fruit-bats likely reflect responses of these bats to changing food supplies (Richter and Cumming 2008).

Ecosystem and cultural services: The role of frugivorous bats is crucial in ecosystems as these species perform key functions as pollinators and seed dispersers (Fujita & Tuttle 1991; Hodgkison et al. 2003). For example, Hodgkison et al. (2003) found that 13.7 % of trees in a botanical survey of a 1 ha old-growth forest were partially dependent on bats for pollination and seed dispersal. This species has been shown to retain ingested seeds for long periods and to traverse large distances, making it an important seed disperser in tropical Africa (Abedi-Lartey et al. 2016). In West Africa, the African Straw-coloured Fruit bat is a critically important seed dispersal agent for the economically important and threatened timber tree, the African Teak (Milicia excelsa) (Daïnou et al. 2012).