Plant-disperser mutualisms in a semi-arid habitat invaded by Lantana camara L.

Dispersal is an important ecological process that affects plant population structure and community composition. Invasive plants with fleshy fruits rapidly form associations with native and invasive dispersers, and may affect existing native plant-disperser associations. We asked whether frugivore visitation rate and fruit removal was associated with plant characteristics in a community of fleshy-fruited plants and whether an invasive plant receives more visitation and greater fruit removal than native plants in a semi-arid habitat of Andhra Pradesh, India. Tree-watches were undertaken at individuals of nine native and one invasive shrub species to assess the identity, number and fruit removal by avian frugivores. Network analyses and generalised linear mixed effects models were used to understand species and community-level patterns. All plants received most number of visits from abundant, generalist avian frugivores. Number of frugivore visits and time spent by frugivores at individua...种子扩散是一类关键的生态学过程，可调控植物种群结构与群落组成。携带肉质果实的入侵植物会快速与本土及入侵的扩散媒介建立互作关联，并可能干扰现有的本土植物-扩散媒介互作网络。本研究旨在探究两个科学问题：其一，在印度安得拉邦的半干旱生境中，肉质果植物群落内，食果动物（frugivore）访问频次与果实移除率是否与植物性状存在关联；其二，入侵植物是否比本土植物获得更高的访问频次与果实移除率。研究人员针对9种本土灌木与1种入侵灌木的个体开展了定点观测，以统计食果鸟类（avian frugivores）的类群组成、访问数量及果实移除情况。本研究采用网络分析与广义线性混合效应模型，解析物种及群落尺度的互作模式。所有受试植物的主要访问者均为种群数量丰富的广食性食果鸟类。食果动物的访问次数以及其在单个植株上停留的