The role of thrushes in maintaining the genetic diversity and structure of a tropical palm

Carvalho, Carolina da Silva; Valverde, Javier; Souza, Marília; Ribeiro, Thiago; Nazareth, Sérgio; Galetti, Mauro; Côrtes, Marina Corrêa

doi:10.7818/ecos.1530

Cited by 3 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 40 publications

(54 reference statements)

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“…Nevertheless, the loss of large‐sized seed dispersers impacted the quality of seed dispersal service, mainly in terms of dispersal away from the local neighbourhood, with anticipated negative effects in the long term for the persistence of a key palm tropical tree E. edulis . Our results are consistent with previous findings on the effect of defaunation on genetic diversity and differentiation of E. edulis populations (Carvalho et al., 2015, 2016, 2019). Previously, we reported that the functional loss of large seed dispersers resulted in genetic differentiation among E. edulis populations; however, unexpectedly, we did not find evidence that defaunation would reduce genetic diversity or increased fine‐spatial genetic structure at the seedling stages (Carvalho et al., 2015, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…Previous studies have attributed this result to competition release caused by the extirpation of the large seed dispersers, which results in augmented densities of small‐ and medium‐sized frugivores (Farwig et al., 2017; Kurten, 2013). In our study, this result can be attributed to the fact that medium‐sized frugivores are, quantitively, the most effective E. edulis seed dispersers in defaunated and pristine forest (Carvalho et al., 2019; Galetti et al., 2013; Rother et al., 2016). Thus, the loss of large frugivores might not impact the amount of seed being dispersed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…Because medium‐sized frugivores are by far the most effective seed disperser in defaunated forests (Carvalho et al., 2019; Galetti et al., 2013), we could indirectly attribute seed and genotype dispersal patterns to these species. However, the same is not possible in pristine forests because of the high diversity of frugivores contributing to dispersal and the lack of species‐specific diagnosable signs left on dispersed seeds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is important, however, to emphasize that the density of adults of E. edulis has been decreasing in most of forests due to illegal harvesting of its edible meristem (Galetti & Fernandez, 1998). Therefore, we highlight the importance of maintaining high densities of E. edulis to prevent the loss of local genetic diversity (Carvalho et al., 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Extant fruit‐eating birds promote genetically diverse seed rain, but disperse to fewer sites in defaunated tropical forests

et al. 2020

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The world‐wide decline in populations of large‐bodied vertebrates due to deforestation and poaching threatens the persistence of animal‐dispersed plants by reducing long‐distance seed dispersal and generating aggregated seed rain patterns. We evaluated whether the composition of maternal trees contributing to the seed rain is also impacted by the loss of large frugivores. By combining molecular tools with a thorough sampling of the frugivore‐generated seed rain we quantified the number of seeds, richness of maternal progenies and number of maternal effective alleles in the seed rain of a tropical palm Euterpe edulis across ten Atlantic Forest remnants with varying levels of avian defaunation and density of palm conspecifics. Forest structure in defaunated areas was characterized by higher canopy openness. Defaunation did not affect the number of seeds dispersed or of effective alleles, but, together with palm density, was associated with higher numbers of maternal genotypes in the seed rain. This result suggests that medium‐sized birds may play an important role in mixing maternal genotypes where large‐sized frugivores have been extirpated. Defaunation, however, impacted the spatial distribution of seeds, with deposition sites in avian depauperated forests less likely to receive at least one seed. Synthesis. Our study suggests that medium‐sized frugivores contribute to maintaining the quantitative component of seed dispersal and local genetic diversity of a threatened tropical palm in human degraded forests and, therefore, may be important for guaranteeing the persistence of remnant animal‐dispersed plant populations under scenarios of rapid environmental change. The loss of large‐bodied frugivores, however, can disrupt longer dispersal events and strengthen the dispersal spatial limitation, with consequences for plant spatial distribution and fine‐scale genetic structure at the population level.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Extant fruit‐eating birds promote genetically diverse seed rain, but disperse to fewer sites in defaunated tropical forests

et al. 2020

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“…Este trabajo resalta la importancia de tener en cuenta las interacciones planta-animal para explicar las características demográficas y genéticas de las poblaciones actuales. Este tipo de interacciones son fundamentales para las plantas dispersadas por frugívoros, como demuestran Carvalho et al (2019). En los estudios demográficos con plantas, la dispersión de las semillas representa una fase clave que conecta el fin de la fase reproductiva con el inicio de la fase de establecimiento (Harper 1977), con consecuencias importantes tanto demográficas como genéticas.…”

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The mutualism–antagonism continuum in Neotropical palm–frugivore interactions: from interaction outcomes to ecosystem dynamics

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Kissling

2021

Biological Reviews

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Frugivory, that is feeding on fruits, pulp or seeds by animals, is usually considered a mutualism when interactions involve seed dispersal, and an antagonism when it results in the predation and destruction of seeds. Nevertheless, most frugivory interactions involve both benefits and disadvantages for plants, and the net interaction outcomes thus tend to vary along a continuum from mutualism to antagonism. Quantifying outcome variation is challenging and the ecological contribution of frugivorous animals to plant demography thus remains little explored. This is particularly true for interactions in which animals do not ingest entire fruits, that is in seed‐eating and pulp‐eating. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of Neotropical palm–frugivore interactions, with a focus on how frugivore consumption behaviour (i.e. digestive processing, fruit‐handling ability and caching behaviour) and feeding types (fruit‐eating, pulp‐eating and seed‐eating) influence interaction outcomes at different demographic stages of palms. We compiled a total of 1043 species‐level palm–frugivore interaction records that explicitly captured information on which parts of palm fruits are eaten by animals. These records showed consumption of fruits of 106 Neotropical palm species by 273 vertebrate species, especially birds (50%) and mammals (45%), but also fish (3%) and reptiles (2%). Fruit‐eating involved all four taxonomic vertebrate classes whereas seed‐eating and pulp‐eating were only recorded among birds and mammals. Most fruit‐eating interactions (77%) resulted in positive interaction outcomes for plants (e.g. gut‐passed seeds are viable or seeds are successfully dispersed), regardless of the digestive processing type of vertebrate consumers (seed defecation versus regurgitation). The majority of pulp‐eating interactions (91%) also resulted in positive interaction outcomes, for instance via pulp removal that promoted seed germination or via dispersal of intact palm seeds by external transport, especially if animals have a good fruit‐handling ability (e.g. primates, and some parrots). By contrast, seed‐eating interactions mostly resulted in dual outcomes (60%), where interactions had both negative effects on seed survival and positive outcomes through seed caching and external (non‐digestive) seed dispersal. A detailed synthesis of available field studies with qualitative and quantitative information provided evidence that 12 families and 27 species of mammals and birds are predominantly on the mutualistic side of the continuum whereas five mammalian families, six mammal and one reptile species are on the antagonistic side. The synthesis also revealed that most species can act as partial mutualists, even if they are typically considered antagonists. Our review demonstrates how different consumption behaviours and feeding types of vertebrate fruit consumers can influence seed dispersal and regeneration of palms, and thus ultimately affect the structure and functioning of tropical ecosystems. Variation in feeding types of anim...

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The role of thrushes in maintaining the genetic diversity and structure of a tropical palm

Abstract: Artículo publicado en Open Access bajo los términos de Creative Commons attribution Non Comercial License 3.0. MONOGRÁFICO: Demografía y Genética dePoblaciones ecosistemas REVISTA CIENTÍFICA DE ECOLOGÍA Y MEDIO AMBIENTE

Cited by 3 publications

References 40 publications

Extant fruit‐eating birds promote genetically diverse seed rain, but disperse to fewer sites in defaunated tropical forests

Extant fruit‐eating birds promote genetically diverse seed rain, but disperse to fewer sites in defaunated tropical forests

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The mutualism–antagonism continuum in Neotropical palm–frugivore interactions: from interaction outcomes to ecosystem dynamics

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