Human-induced reduction in mammalian movements impacts seed dispersal in the tropics

Seed dispersal is a key process affecting the structure, composition and spatial dynamics of plant populations. Numerous plant species in the tropics rely upon animals to disperse their seeds. Humans have altered mammalian movements, which will likely affect seed dispersal distances (SDD). Altered SDD may have a range of consequences for plant communities including reduced seedling recruitment and plant biomass, seed trait homogenization, altered gene flow and a reduced capacity to respond to environmental changes. Therefore, modelling the consequences of altered animal behaviour on ecosystem processes is important for predicting how ecosystems will respond to human impacts. While previous research has focused on the link between animal species extirpation and SDD, it remains unclear how changes in mammalian movement will impact SDD. Here we implemented a mechanistic modelling approach to examine how mammalian movement reductions impact SDD in the tropics. We combined allometric theory ...