Sulphur-containing "perfumes" attract flower-visiting bats

We tested the attractiveness of individual scent compounds of bat-pollinate d flowers to their pollinators, small flower-visiting bats of the genus Glo ssophaga (Phyllostomidae). Twenty compounds belonging to four different che mical substance classes were tested, both in the laboratory and in the fiel d. In the laboratory, the bats (Glossophaga soricina) approached odour sour ces spontaneously and without preceding experience. Without ever receiving any reward they preferred the scent of a sulphur-containing compound, dimet hyl disulphide, to several other odour components emitted by bat-pollinated flowers, and to scentless controls. In the field, at La Selva station in t he tropical lowland rain forest of Costa Rica, G. commissarisi were attract ed by two sulphur-containing compounds, dimethyl disulphide and 2,4-dithiap entane, to visit artificial flowers filled with sugar water. Thus, in necta rivorous bats the sense of smell obviously plays an important role in searc hing for and localising food sources, and even single components of the sce nt bouquets of bat-pollinated flowers are attractive. The preference for su lphur-containing odours seems to be innate.