"Liaisons dangereuses": The invasive red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer), a disperser of exotic plant species in New Caledonia.

ABSTRACT: The biodiversity hotspot of New Caledonia hosts high levels of endemism (74% of flora) that is threatened increasingly by climate change, habitat reduction, and invasive species. The fruit-eating red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is currently invading the main island of the archipelago, and its recent dispersal out of urbanized habitats raises questions about its potential to disperse noxious plant seeds along urban corridors and beyond. Indeed, the red-vented bulbul is considered a vector of several introduced plant species in its alien range including Miconia calvescens, Lantana camara, and Schinus terebinthifolius. We conducted a quantitative assessment of the bulbul's fruits consumption by analyzing the gut contents of shot birds. We estimated gut passage

SUBMITTER: Thibault M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6194277 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature