Data for Diniz et al. (2022) Changing the main course: strong bat visitation to the ornithophilous mistletoe Psittacanthus robustus (Loranthaceae) in a Neotropical savanna (Biotropica)

The Neotropical genus Psittacanthus comprises mostly specialized
ornithophilous mistletoes, with rare exceptions. Psittacanthus robustus is
a common ornithophilous species from the South American savannas whose
bright-yellow flowers secrete copious diluted nectar. Due to a
three-day-long anthesis and a short, non-restrictive floral tube, we
suggest that the species also serves as a resource for flower-visiting
bats. In a Cerrado area in central Brazil, we investigated the usage of
the species by bats through systematic bat captures for pollen sampling,
its nocturnal nectar secretion dynamics, mating system, and the relative
dependence on diurnal and nocturnal pollinators for reproduction. Nine
phyllostomid bat species visited P. robustus. Up to 50% of pollen samples
from bats contained the species during peak flowering, equating or
surpassing the prevalence of chiropterophilous species and representing
roughly a third of the floral resources consumed by specialized
nectarivores Glossophaga soricina and Anoura caudifer. Flowers actively
produced nectar at night with volume and concentration values in the ideal
ranges for bat consumption. Nectar is continuously secreted after sunset
and accumulates in the absence of visitors. Psittacanthus robustus is
self-compatible but seeds are set mostly by diurnal visitors. Nocturnal
animals had a low and secondary contribution to plant fitness. This is the
second report of bat pollination for the genus Psittacanthus, and the
largest assemblage of bat visitors for the family Loranthaceae. Although
ornithophilous, P. robustus is an important resource for bats in the
Brazilian savanna, potentially representing a mixed or early transitional
state towards bat pollination.