In the Barro Colorado Island researches have been studying fruit bats and their affect on the islands survival. The article asks what are role that these animals play in the survival of the island. These questions may seem a bit odd to ask of a bat but in reality the bat affect the island survival in many ways.
The first and most important is the fact that the bats, not the fruit bat, eat the many insects on the island so that it does not become over populated with them. These insects that they eat are the same ones that eat away at the leafs and plants that could die if the insect continue to eat all of them. So the bats are already a great help to the life of plants on the island.
Another important factor to think about is that the fruit bats eat the fruit on the is land and help with the spreading of the fruit trees about the island. The bats eat the entire piece of fruit and defecates the seeds when in flight, and where ever they are flying they drop the seed to a new place for growth.
These bat are very helpful to the animal and plant population on the
island and their survival on this island allows the island to survive.
Allen, William H. The varied bats of Barro Colorado Islands. Bio Science. American Institute of Biological Science. Vol. 46 No. 9. October 1996. Pgs.639-642.