Novel plant-frugivore network on Mauritius is unlikely to compensate for the extinction of seed dispersers.

ABSTRACT: Insular communities are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic extinctions and introductions. Changes in composition of island frugivore communities may affect seed dispersal within the native plant community, risking ecological shifts and ultimately co-extinction cascades. Introduced species could potentially mitigate these risks by replacing ecological functions of extinct species, but conclusive evidence is lacking. Here, we investigate changes in plant-frugivore interactions involving frugivorous birds, mammals and reptiles in Mauritius, an oceanic island with an exceptionally well-specified frugivore community and well-described species introduction history. We demonstrate substantial losses of binary interaction partnerships (at the species level) resulting from native species exti

SUBMITTER: Heinen JH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9950440 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature