The data set provided here includes 8,320 frugivory interactions (records of pair-wise interactio... more The data set provided here includes 8,320 frugivory interactions (records of pair-wise interactions between plant and frugivore species) reported for the Atlantic Forest. The data set includes interactions between 331 vertebrate species (232 birds, 90 mammals, 5 fishes, 1 amphibian, and 3 reptiles) and 788 plant species. We also present information on traits directly related to the frugivory process (endozoochory), such as the size of fruits and seeds and the body mass and gape size of frugivores. Data were extracted from 166 published and unpublished sources spanning from 1961 to 2016. While this is probably the most comprehensive data set available for a tropical ecosystem, it is arguably taxonomically and geographically biased. The plant families better represented are Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae, Moraceae, Urticaceae, and Solanaceae. Myrsine coriacea, Alchornea glandulosa, Cecropia pachystachya, and Trema micrantha are the plant species with the most animal dispersers (83, 76, 76, and 74 species, respectively). Among the animal taxa, the highest number of interactions is reported for birds (3,883) followed by mammals (1,315). The woolly spider monkey or muriqui, Brachyteles arachnoides, and Rufous-bellied Thrush, Turdus rufiventris, are the frugivores with the most diverse fruit diets (137 and 121 plants species, respectively). The most important general patterns that we note are that larger seeded plant species (>12 mm) are mainly eaten by terrestrial mammals (rodents, ungulates, primates, and carnivores) and that birds are the main consumers of fruits with a high concentration of lipids. Our data set is geographically biased, with most interactions recorded for the southeast Atlantic Forest.
Primates play a fundamental role as seed dispersers, particularly in tropical rainforests. Becaus... more Primates play a fundamental role as seed dispersers, particularly in tropical rainforests. Because defaunation and fragmentation are leading several primate species to local extinction, it is fundamental to understand the role of primates as effective seed dispersers. Here we present a systematic review of studies of seed dispersal by primates in a biodiversity hotspot, the Atlantic Forest of South America, to 1) highlight gaps in our knowledge, 2) determine species richness and proportion of seed species dispersed, and 3) test the relationship between primate body size and the size of dispersed species. Our review found 79 studies of the diet of six ecospecies (Callithrix, Leontopithecus, Callicebus, Sapajus, Alouatta, Brachyteles) but only 20 of these report information on seed dispersal, and none of these are on Callithrix or Callicebus. We found a strong bias in the distribution of species and regions, with most of the studies concentrated in southeastern Brazil. All ecospecies dispersed a large proportion of the seed species they handled (72.1-93.6%). Brachyteles dispersed the highest diversity of plants (N = 73), followed by Sapajus (N = 66), Leontopithecus (N = 49), and Alouatta (N = 26). Although we found no significant relationship between primate body size and the size of seeds dispersed, Brachyteles disperse a higher diversity of large-seeded species than smaller-bodied primates. These results suggest that the local extinction of large primate species may lead to dramatic changes in the plant community, as many large-seeded plants are inaccessible to smaller arboreal frugivores. We propose guidelines for future Int J Primatol
Background: Functional redundancy has been debated largely in ecology and conservation, yet we la... more Background: Functional redundancy has been debated largely in ecology and conservation, yet we lack detailed empirical studies on the roles of functionally similar species in ecosystem function. Large bodied frugivores may disperse similar plant species and have strong impact on plant recruitment in tropical forests. The two largest frugivores in the neotropics, tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) and muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) are potential candidates for functional redundancy on seed dispersal effectiveness. Here we provide a comparison of the quantitative, qualitative and spatial effects on seed dispersal by these megafrugivores in a continuous Brazilian Atlantic forest.
The data set provided here includes 8,320 frugivory interactions (records of pair-wise interactio... more The data set provided here includes 8,320 frugivory interactions (records of pair-wise interactions between plant and frugivore species) reported for the Atlantic Forest. The data set includes interactions between 331 vertebrate species (232 birds, 90 mammals, 5 fishes, 1 amphibian, and 3 reptiles) and 788 plant species. We also present information on traits directly related to the frugivory process (endozoochory), such as the size of fruits and seeds and the body mass and gape size of frugivores. Data were extracted from 166 published and unpublished sources spanning from 1961 to 2016. While this is probably the most comprehensive data set available for a tropical ecosystem, it is arguably taxonomically and geographically biased. The plant families better represented are Melastomataceae, Myrtaceae, Moraceae, Urticaceae, and Solanaceae. Myrsine coriacea, Alchornea glandulosa, Cecropia pachystachya, and Trema micrantha are the plant species with the most animal dispersers (83, 76, 76, and 74 species, respectively). Among the animal taxa, the highest number of interactions is reported for birds (3,883) followed by mammals (1,315). The woolly spider monkey or muriqui, Brachyteles arachnoides, and Rufous-bellied Thrush, Turdus rufiventris, are the frugivores with the most diverse fruit diets (137 and 121 plants species, respectively). The most important general patterns that we note are that larger seeded plant species (>12 mm) are mainly eaten by terrestrial mammals (rodents, ungulates, primates, and carnivores) and that birds are the main consumers of fruits with a high concentration of lipids. Our data set is geographically biased, with most interactions recorded for the southeast Atlantic Forest.
Primates play a fundamental role as seed dispersers, particularly in tropical rainforests. Becaus... more Primates play a fundamental role as seed dispersers, particularly in tropical rainforests. Because defaunation and fragmentation are leading several primate species to local extinction, it is fundamental to understand the role of primates as effective seed dispersers. Here we present a systematic review of studies of seed dispersal by primates in a biodiversity hotspot, the Atlantic Forest of South America, to 1) highlight gaps in our knowledge, 2) determine species richness and proportion of seed species dispersed, and 3) test the relationship between primate body size and the size of dispersed species. Our review found 79 studies of the diet of six ecospecies (Callithrix, Leontopithecus, Callicebus, Sapajus, Alouatta, Brachyteles) but only 20 of these report information on seed dispersal, and none of these are on Callithrix or Callicebus. We found a strong bias in the distribution of species and regions, with most of the studies concentrated in southeastern Brazil. All ecospecies dispersed a large proportion of the seed species they handled (72.1-93.6%). Brachyteles dispersed the highest diversity of plants (N = 73), followed by Sapajus (N = 66), Leontopithecus (N = 49), and Alouatta (N = 26). Although we found no significant relationship between primate body size and the size of seeds dispersed, Brachyteles disperse a higher diversity of large-seeded species than smaller-bodied primates. These results suggest that the local extinction of large primate species may lead to dramatic changes in the plant community, as many large-seeded plants are inaccessible to smaller arboreal frugivores. We propose guidelines for future Int J Primatol
Background: Functional redundancy has been debated largely in ecology and conservation, yet we la... more Background: Functional redundancy has been debated largely in ecology and conservation, yet we lack detailed empirical studies on the roles of functionally similar species in ecosystem function. Large bodied frugivores may disperse similar plant species and have strong impact on plant recruitment in tropical forests. The two largest frugivores in the neotropics, tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) and muriquis (Brachyteles arachnoides) are potential candidates for functional redundancy on seed dispersal effectiveness. Here we provide a comparison of the quantitative, qualitative and spatial effects on seed dispersal by these megafrugivores in a continuous Brazilian Atlantic forest.
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