Abstract

Here, we used radiotelemetry to determine home range and movement patterns of the frugivorous bat Sturnira lilium in a naturally fragmented landscape in Beni, Bolivia. Four females were monitored for up to 7 d. Based on 575 radiotelemetry positions, kernel home ranges were between 36.5 and 90.7 ha. During each night, bats visited most of their home range, which included forest islands and continuous forest; however activity was concentrated in core-use areas representing 6-12 percent of the home ranges. There was moderate overlap in home range and core-use areas among the four females. The mean long axis across the kernel home ranges was 1324 m. The results reported here show that S. lilium is able to move freely among forest elements in the landscape while crossing a savanna matrix. Hence, S. lilium may contribute to maintain connectivity and ecological processes in a fragmented landscape.