Forests without primates: Primate/plant codependency

Abstract

Detailed studies of primates and fruiting trees have illustrated that these groups of organisms are involved in a very complex set of interactions, with primates relying on fruiting trees as important food resources and fruiting trees relying on frugivores for seed dispersal. Human activities that influence either primate seed dispersal or fruit production have the potential of having unanticipated effects on the other interactants. Here we evaluate what is known and what we still need to learn to evaluate the long‐term consequences of disrupting the interactions between primates and tropical forest trees. We do this by first assessing the potential importance of primates at dispersing the seeds of tropical forest trees. Second, we consider possible consequences of hunting primates on recruitment in tropical tree communities. Third, we address the converse by considering the impacts of decreasing resource availability for primates through either logging or through the extraction of nontimber forest products. Finally, we provide a case study from Kibale National Park, Uganda, that contrasts seedling recruitment in 20 forest fragments in which primate seed dispersers have been dramatically reduced with seedling recruitment in areas that have an intact frugivore community. In comparison to the intact forest, the fragments had lower seedling density and fewer species of seedlings. Furthermore, a greater proportion of the seedlings were from small‐seeded species that might not require primates for their dispersal, since they probably can be dispersed by small birds. All of these considerations suggest that disrupting the complex interactions between primates and fruiting trees can potentially have negative and possibly cascading effects on ecosystem processes. Am. J. Primatol. 45:127–141, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Bushmeat hunting changes regeneration of African rainforests

“…In several cases, the loss of large frugivores has been followed by an increase in small seed predators, which are less sensitive to hunting [5,13]. There is strong evidence showing that where large vertebrate frugivores are reduced by illegal hunting and other anthropogenic disturbances, their seed dispersal services are also disrupted [14][15][16].…”

Morfologia e estabelecimento de plântulas de Cryptocarya moschata Nees, Ocotea catharinensis Mez e Endlicheria paniculata (Spreng.) MacBride - Lauraceae

“…Efeitos positivos semelhantes entre frugívoros e recrutamento de plântulas de Cryptocarya alba (Molina) Looser foram descritos por Bustamante et al (1993), por Forget & Sabatier (1997), entre Ateles paniscus L. e Virola sp. e por Chapman & Onderdonk (1998), em estudo comparativo entre floresta com comunidade intacta de primatas e 20 fragmentos florestais com populações de primatas drasticamente reduzidas, em que a densidade de plântulas e o número de espécies recrutadas foram menores que os da floresta intacta.…”

The value of disturbance-tolerant cercopithecine monkeys as seed dispersers in degraded habitats

“…Looking at the different cercopithecine genera, most research on seed dispersal by cercopithecines in disturbed habitats has been limited to less tolerant (T1) species of Cercopithecus (Chapman and Onderdonk, 1998;Gross-Camp and Kaplin, 2011;Kirika, 2007), with a few studies on Papio (T2-T3; Duncan and Chapman, 2002;Reinhardt and Rossouw, 2000;Slater and du Toit, 2002), Chlorocebus (T3; Agmen et al, 2010) and Macaca (T3; Tsuji, 2011) in more disturbed habitats. Studies on seed dispersal by highly tolerant (T3) cercopithecines in a diversity of disturbed habitats are almost completely lacking.…”

“…Only C. lhoestii has been documented dispersing seeds into disturbed habitats (Gross-Camp and Kaplin, 2011); however, several other species have been reported to use good quality forest fragments or move between fragments (Cercopithecus ascanius, Cercopithecus cephus, Cercopithecus nictitans, Cercopithecus mitis, Cercopithecus mona; Chapman et al, 2002;Chapman and Onderdonk, 1998;Kaplin and Moermond, 1998;Kirika, 2007;Stickler, 2004;Thomas, 1991) and probably disperse seeds within fragments or the matrix surrounding fragments. Lophocebus albigena has also been reported consuming fruit in heavily disturbed regions (Kirika, 2007).…”