Using camera traps, University of Nottingham researcher Sheema Abdul Aziz and colleagues collected video evidence showing the small flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) pollinating the flowers of durian (Durio zibethinus).
Small flying foxes (Pteropus hypomelanus). Image credit: Zoo Leipzig.
Large fruit bats of the genus Pteropus are severely threatened by hunting and deforestation.
They are often sold and eaten as exotic meat due to an unsubstantiated belief that consuming them can help cure asthma and other respiratory problems.
They are also persecuted and killed as agricultural pests, as some people claim that the bats cause damage and economic loss by feeding on cultivated fruits.
A new study published in the Journal of Ecology and Evolution shows that these bats play important roles as seed dispersers and pollinators in rainforests, especially on islands.
“Previously it was known that the smaller, nectar-feeding bats are pollinators for durian — but many people believed that flying foxes were too large and destructive to play such a role,” Dr. Aziz said.
“Our study shows the exact opposite: that these giant fruit bats are actually very effective in pollinating durian trees.”
The tropical durian fruit, with its spiky skin and distinctive odor, is highly prized throughout Malaysia and Thailand.
A ubiquitous icon of Southeast Asian culture, it is also a lucrative industry, generating millions of U.S. dollars in local and international trade.
The findings suggest these economic profits owe a huge debt to large fruit bats such as flying foxes — as they were previously believed to be destructive rather than beneficial.
“Durian is a fascinating plant that, with its flowers pollinated by bats and its seeds dispersed by large animals like elephants, beautifully exemplifies the importance of plant animal interactions,” said co-author Dr. Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz, from the School of Environment and Geographical Sciences of the University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus.
“The durian fruit is particularly famous for its pungent smell and unique taste, adored by most people in Southeast Asia and so often misunderstood by westerners.”
“We hope this study brings attention to the urgency of conserving flying foxes in Southeast Asia.”
“If people end up hunting flying foxes to extinction, it’s not hard to see that there could be serious implications for Southeast Asia’s beloved ‘king of fruits’,” Dr. Aziz said.
_____
Sheema A. Aziz et al. Pollination by the locally endangered island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) enhances fruit production of the economically important durian (Durio zibethinus). Journal of Ecology and Evolution, published online September 18, 2017; doi: 10.1002/ece3.3213
