Habitats

A colony of Puya nitida, growing in the Andean subparamo at about 9,000 feet elevation above Cuenca, Ecuador. This plant genus contains over 100 species, is found mostly at higher elevations of the Andes and is the oldest genus of bromeliads. Though most bromeliads are found in tropical rainforests growing as epiphytes on trees, Puya, are solely ground-dwelling and are very tolerant of low temperatures, surviving down to -20°C. Puya are long-lived plants and some of them need about 100 years from the seed until they flower. This species grows in dense colonies. Individual plants normally die once flowering is complete, though the colonies persist. Flowers are highly attractive to bats. Hummingbirds also visit them by day. As pollinators are scarce in this high mountain region where they normally grow Puya may need to attract both birds and bats. However bats have been shown to be their most effective pollinators. Habitat

This cactus (Espostoa frutescens, Cactaceae) is endemic to a single river valley in Ecuador. Members of this genus, to varying degrees, produce woolly hairs on the flowering sides of their branches. These are most prominently seen in Espostoa frutescens. Locals referred to it as el viejito (the old man cactus). The woolly “fur” is an adaptation to help bats locate its flowers. A large proportion of columnar cacti rely on bats as primary pollinators (see National Geographic, June 1991). E. frutescens blooms only at night and produces copious pollen and nectar. My photographs provide the first documentation of its being pollinated by bats. Habitat, Pollination

This tank plant (Werauhia gladioliflora) is one of the most abundant, widely distributed, epiphytic bromeliads of the Neotropics. These are called tank bromeliads due to their long-term retention of rain water. As water reservoirs of the forest canopy, these plants provide essential breeding habitat for a wide variety of microbes, insects and frogs. At least 6 genera and 21 species of bromeliads are reported to be pollinated by bats, though little attention has been paid to bat pollinated bromeliads. Pollination, Habitat

The sea bean (Mucuna holtonii), is a legume that grows along streams, rivers and other rain forest edges from southern Mexico and Belize throughout Central America. It is a woody vine whose inflorescences open flowers only at night. Its flowers are highly specialized for exclusive bat pollination. This plant is a good nitrogen fixer and is fed upon by butterfly caterpillars, such as those of the blue morpho. Habitat, Pollination

A pitcher plant (Nepenthes hemsleyana} in Borneo, the species used for roosting by Hardwicke's woolly bat {Kerivoula hardwickii}. This tiny 4-gram bat roosts in the pitcher. The plant has evolved special adaptations to encourage bat use, and in exchange it feeds on nitrogen from the bat's droppings instead of capturing insects or other animals like most pitcher plant species. The constriction, half way down the pitcher ensures a secure resting place for bats, well above the water level. Habitat