Seed Rain in Abandoned Clearings in a Lowland Evergreen Rain Forest in Southern Thailand

Sritongchuay, Tuanjit; Gale, George; Stewart, Alyssa B.; Kerdkaew, Thanate; Bumrungsri, Sara

doi:10.1177/194008291400700314

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Flying foxes are particularly effective when dispersing small seeds that are swallowed, such as those of figs, over long distances in fragmented and degraded landscapes such as our study area (Shilton et al 1999, Corlett 2009, Sritongchuay et al 2014. Larger seeds are also frequently carried away from the fruiting tree to a feeding roost, and we observed dispersal distances of 300 m for seeds of the gaub tree, surpassing reported regular distances of 200 m (Corlett 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

High-resolution GPS tracking of Lyle's flying fox between temples and orchards in central Thailand

Weber

Duengkae²,

Fahr

et al. 2015

Jour. Wild. Mgmt.

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Hunting and loss of natural habitats increasingly threaten tropical biodiversity and ecosystems, particularly in Southeast Asia. Flying foxes often persist in anthropogenic areas where other wildlife has vanished, and where they play a significant ecological role in vegetation regeneration in disturbed habitats. Detailed knowledge on the foraging behavior of flying foxes is crucial for understanding how they survive in degraded habitats and for the management of human-wildlife conflicts. Thailand still harbors large colonies (several thousand individuals) of Lyle's flying fox (Pteropus lylei), a species ranked as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, at temples situated in agricultural landscapes. We used high-resolution global positioning system (GPS) loggers to study the movement and foraging behavior of this species at 2 temples in central Thailand during 2 seasons. We analyzed GPS and acceleration data of 19 tagged individuals, and assessed habitat use and diet. Foraging individuals commuted between day roosts and foraging areas each night, followed by small-scale movements in foraging areas, and showed high site fidelity during the study period. Maximum linear distances between day roosts and foraging areas varied greatly between individuals (2.2-23.6 km) but were similar between seasons. Tracked bats mostly foraged in farmland, plantations, and gardens, yet our data indicate that small mangrove remnants constitute important habitat components for Lyle's flying fox. We recorded a highly diverse diet of 34 food plant species, comprised of exotic crops and native plants as available. Our results suggest that conservation and landscape managers should preserve remaining native trees and natural vegetation in the study area as resources for Lyle's flying fox, at the same time reducing potential for conflicts between bats and humans on crops. They can further be used for public information campaigns integrating the potential of Lyle's flying fox as dispersers of useful plants and the human health risks through zoonotic diseases associated with hunting and consumption of this species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

High-resolution GPS tracking of Lyle's flying fox between temples and orchards in central Thailand

Weber

Duengkae²,

Fahr

et al. 2015

Jour. Wild. Mgmt.

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“…Animals, especially birds, may be an important dispersal agent of many woody plants as they can effectively transport seeds long distances from areas containing woody plants into areas lacking them (Neuenkamp, Lewis, Koorem, Zobel, & Zobel, 2016;Proctor, 1968;Sritongchuay, Gale, Stewart, Kerdkaew, & Bumrungsri, 2014). The number of stable structures for perching can limit bird use (Ferguson & Drake, 1999;Graves, Rodewald, & Hull, 2010; but see Vickery & Hunter, 1995), and as a result, increases in woody structure may enhance seed deposition as well as plant diversity by providing structure that birds use for perches (McClanahan & Wolfe, 1993;Graham & Page, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Woody structure facilitates invasion of woody plants by providing perches for birds

Prather

Huynh

Pennings

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Woody encroachment threatens prairie ecosystems globally, and thus understanding the mechanisms that facilitate woody encroachment is of critical importance. Coastal tallgrass prairies along the Gulf Coast of the US are currently threatened by the spread of several species of woody plants. We studied a coastal tallgrass prairie in Texas, USA, to determine if existing woody structure increased the supply of seeds from woody plants via dispersal by birds. Specifically, we determined if (i) more seedlings of an invasive tree (Tridacia sebifera) are present surrounding a native woody plant (Myrica cerifera); (ii) wooden perches increase the quantity of seeds dispersed to a grassland; and (iii) perches alter the composition of the seed rain seasonally in prairie habitats with differing amounts of native and invasive woody vegetation, both underneath and away from artificial wooden perches. More T. sebifera seedlings were found within M. cerifera patches than in graminoid‐dominated areas. Although perches did not affect the total number of seeds, perches changed the composition of seed rain to be less dominated by grasses and forbs. Specifically, 20–30 times as many seeds of two invasive species of woody plants were found underneath perches independent of background vegetation, especially during months when seed rain was highest. These results suggest that existing woody structure in a grassland can promote further woody encroachment by enhancing seed dispersal by birds. This finding argues for management to reduce woody plant abundance before exotic plants set seeds and argues against the use of artificial perches as a restoration technique in grasslands threatened by woody species.

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“…Conservation studies are now recognizing the need to 49 collect qualitative and quantitative information on trophic relationships between animals and 50 plants, not only to identify potential ecosystem service providers (Pompanon et (Sritongchuay et al 2014). However, studies on 63 phytophagous bat diets to date have relied on physical identification of food plant species -64 either through direct observations of foraging bats, or microhistological identification of seeds, 138 We conducted this study on Tioman Island (2°48′38″ N, 104°10′38″ E; 136 km 2 ; Figure 1A There are currently seven villages on the island, situated along the coastline (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elucidating the diet and foraging ecology of the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) in Peninsular Malaysia through Illumina Next-Generation Sequencing

Aziz

Clements

Peng

et al. 2016

Preprint

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There is an urgent need to identify and understand the ecosystem services provided by threatened animal species such as flying foxes. The first step towards this is to obtain comprehensive data on their diet. However, the volant and nocturnal nature of flying foxes presents a challenging situation, and conventional microhistological approaches to studying their diet can be laborious and time-consuming, and provide incomplete information. We used Illumina Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) as a novel, non-invasive method for analysing the diet of the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) on Tioman Island, Peninsular Malaysia. Through NGS analysis of flying fox droppings over eight months, we identified at least 29 Operationally Taxonomic Units comprising the diet of this giant pteropodid, spanning 19 genera and 18 different plant families, including one new family not previously recorded for pteropodid diet. NGS was just as successful as conventional microhistological analysis in detecting plant taxa from droppings, but also uncovered six additional plant taxa. The island flying fox's diet appeared to be dominated by figs (Ficus sp.), which was the most abundant plant taxon detected in the droppings every single month. Our study has shown that NGS can add value to the conventional microhistological approach in identifying food plant species from flying fox droppings.However, accurate and detailed identification requires a comprehensive database of the relevant plant DNA, which may require collection of botanical specimens from the study site. Although this method cannot be used to quantify true abundance or proportion of plant species, nor plant parts consumed, it ultimately provides a very important first step 24 There is an urgent need to identify and understand the ecosystem services provided by threatened 25 animal species such as flying foxes. The first step towards this is to obtain comprehensive data 26 on their diet. However, the volant and nocturnal nature of flying foxes presents a challenging 27 situation, and conventional microhistological approaches to studying their diet can be laborious 28 and time-consuming, and provide incomplete information. We used Illumina Next-Generation 29 Sequencing (NGS) as a novel, non-invasive method for analysing the diet of the island flying fox 30 (Pteropus hypomelanus) on Tioman Island, Peninsular Malaysia. Through NGS analysis of 31 flying fox droppings over eight months, we identified at least 29 Operationally Taxonomic Units 32 comprising the diet of this giant pteropodid, spanning 19 genera and 18 different plant families, 33 including one new family not previously recorded for pteropodid diet. NGS was just as 34 successful as conventional microhistological analysis in detecting plant taxa from droppings, but 35 also uncovered six additional plant taxa. The island flying fox's diet appeared to be dominated 36 by figs (Ficus sp.), which was the most abundant plant taxon detected in the droppings every 37 single month. Our study has shown that NGS can add value ...

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Seed Rain in Abandoned Clearings in a Lowland Evergreen Rain Forest in Southern Thailand

Cited by 17 publications

References 34 publications

High-resolution GPS tracking of Lyle's flying fox between temples and orchards in central Thailand

High-resolution GPS tracking of Lyle's flying fox between temples and orchards in central Thailand

Woody structure facilitates invasion of woody plants by providing perches for birds

Elucidating the diet and foraging ecology of the island flying fox (Pteropus hypomelanus) in Peninsular Malaysia through Illumina Next-Generation Sequencing

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