Bat pollination services are required for some commercially produced plant products, including mangoes, bananas, guavas, agave (which is used to make tequila), cashews, durian fruit, balsa, and dates. In all, more than 40 plant families are pollinated by bats. Bat pollination is especially important in certain families such as the Bombacaceae (e.g. baobab, kapok, and floss-silk trees), Bignoniaceae (such as sausage tree and calabash), Mimosaceae (a type of legume), Myrtaceae (myrtles), and Sapotaceae (sapotes).

Bats are also champion seed dispersers. According to Bat Conservation International, bat pollination or seed dispersal is required for more than 300 plant species in Old World tropics alone. More than 450 economically important products are derived from these plants, including those used for human food or beverages, medicines, timber and wood derivatives, fibers, dyes, tannins, animal food, and fuel. Bats provide the primary means of seed-dispersal for many tropical plants and are major contributors to tropical forest regrowth on cleared land.