Foraging ecology of the black flying fox (Pteropus alecto) in the seasonal tropics of the Northern Territory, Australia

Abstract

Pteropus alecto uses landscape patchiness at two scales: firstly, between broad vegetation types (i.e. eucalypt open forest/savanna woodland versus rainforest vegetation); secondly, within vegetation types. Radio-collared Pteropus alecto selected foraging sites that were richer in flower or fruit resources than floristically similar sites and moved through the landscape in response to the flowering and fruiting of a number of plant species occurring in different vegetation types. Abundance of P. alecto within four monitored rainforest patches and the outside vegetation fluctuated substantially during the study. Overall, P. alecto was more abundant in the rainforests than in the surrounding vegetation. P. alecto foraged on the flowers and fruit from 23 species in 11 families.