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Dugger, Phillip J.; Blendinger, Pedro G.; Böhning‐Gaese, Katrin; Chama, Lackson; Correia, Marta; Dehling, D. Matthias; Emer, Carine; Farwig, Nina; Fricke, Evan C.; Galetti, Mauro; García, Daniel; Graß, Ingo; Heleno, Rúben; Jacomassa, Fábio André Facco; Moraes, Suelen; Moran, Catherine J.; Muñoz, Marcia C.; Neuschulz, Eike Lena; Nowak, Larissa; Piratelli, Augusto João; Pizo, Marco Aurélio; Quitián, Marta; Rogers, Haldre S.; Ruggera, Román A.; Saavedra, Francisco; Sánchez, Mariano S.; Sánchez, Rocío González; Santillán, Vinicio; Schabo, Dana G.; Silva, Fernanda Ribeiro da; Timóteo, Sérgio; Traveset, Anna; Vollstädt, Maximilian G. R.; Schleuning, Matthias

doi:10.1111/geb.12902

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“…It is debated whether biotic interactions influence plant and animal traits and assemblage structure in a consistent way at the global scale (Sinnott-Armstrong et al 2018;Dugger et al 2019). Using a new and expanded dataset of gape sizes for nearly all frugivorous bird species, we found a positive relationship between bird gape and fruit size globally, suggesting seed dispersal interactions are generally important drivers of trait patterns and thus of the ecosystem functions these interactions mediate (Harrison et al 2013;Bello et al 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Global plant-frugivore trait matching is shaped by climate and biogeographic history

McFadden

Fritz

Zimmermann

et al. 2021

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Species interactions are influenced by the trait structure of local multi-trophic communities. However, it remains unclear whether mutualistic interactions in particular can drive trait patterns at the global scale, where climatic constraints and biogeographic processes gain importance. Here we evaluate global relationships between traits of frugivorous birds and palms (Arecaceae), and how these relationships are affected, directly or indirectly, by assemblage richness, climate and biogeographic history. We leverage a new and expanded gape size dataset for nearly all avian frugivores, and find a positive relationship between gape size and fruit size, i.e., trait matching, which is influenced indirectly by palm richness and climate. We also uncover a latitudinal gradient in trait matching strength, which increases towards the tropics and varies among zoogeographic realms. Taken together, our results suggest trophic interactions have consistent influences on trait structure, but that abiotic, biogeographic and richness effects also play important, though sometimes indirect, roles in shaping the functional biogeography of mutualisms.

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