Impacts of rainforest fragmentation on the composition of ground-active vertebrate communities and their patterns of seed consumption.

ABSTRACT: Post-dispersal seed consumption by rainforest vertebrates on the forest floor can substantially influence the community dynamics of rainforest trees. Studies of rainforest vertebrate seed predators at a community level, however, are lacking. Furthermore, there is very limited understanding of the effects of forest fragmentation on seed predators and their feeding behaviour. Here, we test whether communities of vertebrate seed predators, and their patterns of feeding on rainforest tree seeds, are altered when clearing creates forest fragments in an agricultural matrix. Using infra-red trail cameras deployed at stations with and without seeds of 20 local tree species, we identified four mammal and three bird species (from 18 recorded vertebrate taxa at mainly species level) as common post-di

SUBMITTER: Palmer GJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6135387 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature