Forest cover and fruit crop size differentially influence frugivory of select rainforest tree species in Western Ghats, India (Part I)

Forest fragmentation and habitat loss are major disruptors of plant–frugivore interactions, affecting seed dispersal and altering recruitment patterns of tree species dependent on vertebrate dispersers. In a heterogeneous production landscape (primarily tea and coffee plantations) in the southern Western Ghats, India, we examined effects of surrounding forest cover and fruit crop size on frugivory of four rainforest bird-dispersed tree species (N = 131 trees, ≥ 30 trees per species, observed for 623 h). Frugivore composition differed among the four tree species with the large-seeded Canarium strictum and Myristica dactyloides exclusively dependent on large-bodied avian frugivores, whereas, medium-seeded Persea macrantha and Heynea trijuga were predominantly visited by small-bodied and large-bodied avian frugivores, respectively. Using  the seed-dispersal-effectiveness framework, we identified effective frugivores and examined their response to forest cover and fruit crop size. Results w...森林破碎化与栖息地丧失是破坏植物-食果动物互作的主要因素，其会干扰种子扩散过程，并改变依赖脊椎动物扩散者的树木物种的更新格局。本研究于印度南部西高止山脉（Western Ghats）一处以茶园与咖啡园为主的异质性生产景观中开展，针对4种雨林鸟类传播树种的食果行为，探究了周边森林覆盖度与果实挂果量对其的影响（共观测131株树木，每个物种至少30株，总观测时长623小时）。四种林木的食果动物群落组成存在显著差异：大种子树种硬榄（Canarium strictum）与肉豆蔻（Myristica dactyloides）完全依赖大型鸟类食果动物；而中种子树种大果润楠（Persea macrantha）与三叶海木（Heynea trijuga）则分别主要被小型、大型鸟类食果动物访问。本研究采用种子扩散有效性（seed-dispersal-effectiveness）分析框架，明确了有效食果动物类群，并探究了它们对森林覆盖度与果实挂果量的响应规律。研究结果……