Strangler figs are ecologically important in some tropical forests. The hollow centres of strangler figs are full of large hollows that provide shelter and breeding sites for bats, birds, and other animals. Perhaps more importantly, stranglers are “keystone species” in that they provide food to a wide variety of animals during times of scarcity.   Photo Roberto Portolese.  strangler fig. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 18 November, 2014, from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/568081/strangler-fig