Fur, Wings, and Flowers: Development and Progress on Nectarivorous Bat Research in the Last 50 Years

Nectarivory or the habit of feeding on nectar and pollen from flowers occurs in nearly 5% of all bat species. Nectarivorous bats are found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world and possess a suit of adaptations to find flowers, extract nectar, metabolize sugars and nutrients from nectar and pollen, and fly long distances to find enough food to meet their high metabolic demands. Quick assimilation of ingested sugars allows for fast, powered, and hovering flight. With their long-specialized tongues, bats can rapidly probe flowers and extract nectar efficiently. To find flowers in dark environments, bats rely on their elaborate echolocation system, keen sense of smell, and good vision, which is even sensitive to ultraviolet light in some cases. Some species frequently fly long-distances in agricultural landscapes or following regular migration routes, thus promoting gene flow between plant populations. In addition, nectarivorous bats provide pollination services for hundreds of economically important plant species. The intricate relationships between bats and flowers also provide educational opportunities to raise awareness about the value of bats to our diverse societies and ecosystems, fostering solutions to the conservation challenges faced by bat populations. The North American Society for Bat Research has been an important forum where much of this body of work has been presented during the last five decades, and we hope that it will continue to play this role in the future.