A comparison of 2 methods of diet analysis in Neotropical frugivorous bats reveals the hidden side of bat–plant interactions.

This article focuses on comparing DNA metabarcoding using the 18S V9 rDNA region with traditional morphological seed identification to characterize the diet of three Neotropical frugivorous bat species—*Sturnira hondurensis*, *Carollia perspicillata*, and *Artibeus lituratus*—in central Veracruz, Mexico. DNA metabarcoding identified a greater diversity of plant species (20 taxa) and more interaction events than morphological analysis of seeds (10 taxa), revealing that many plant species with large seeds or consumed as pulp only were previously underrepresented. The study demonstrates that metabarcoding provides higher taxonomic resolution (90% species-level identification) and a more complete picture of bat–plant interactions, although it does not indicate the mode of interaction (e.g., frugivory vs. nectarivory) or quantity consumed. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating molecular methods alongside traditional approaches to better understand the ecological roles of frugivorous bats in Neotropical ecosystems.