Spatial activity and diet of Rousettus aegyptiacus in Cyprus: Does conservation of the only European fruit bat depend on supporting alien plants?

During the recent decade the Cypriot population of the Egyptian fruit bats, the only European megabat, dramatically decreased and active conservation management is urgently needed. However, quite a limited information is available on details of its life history and ecology. Our study focused on spatial activity and food habits of three nearby colonies of fruitbats in mid summer and late winter when food supply is supposed to be particularly limited. Using radio-tracking techniques (both manual and automatic), we investigated spatial activity and food habits of 43 fruitbats (summer: 8 females, 11 males; winter: 9 females, 15 males)