Quantity and quality of seed dispersal by a large arboreal frugivore in small and large Atlantic forest fragments.

ABSTRACT: Seed dispersal is a key process driving the structure, composition, and regeneration of tropical forests. Larger frugivores play a crucial role in community structuring by dispersing large seeds not dispersed by smaller frugivores. We assessed the hypothesis that brown howler monkeys (Alouatta guariba clamitans) provide seed dispersal services for a wide assemblage of plant species in both small and large Atlantic forest fragments. Although fruit availability often decreases in small fragments compared with large ones, we predicted that brown howlers are efficient seed dispersers in quantitative and qualitative terms in both forest types given their high dietary flexibility. After a 36-month study period and 2,962 sampling hours, we found that howlers swallowed and defecated intact the vas

SUBMITTER: Chaves OM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5862440 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature