Data from: The disruption of seed dispersal networks: Disentangling the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation

Seed dispersal by frugivores is a central process linking plant
reproduction, animal foraging, population persistence, and ecosystem
resilience. Currently, the spatial template sustaining these interactions
is rapidly reconfigured by habitat loss and fragmentation promoted by
human activity. While habitat loss consistently reduces the diversity and
abundance of frugivores and animal-dispersed plants, the effects of
fragmentation per se are still not clear. These changes in landscape
structure not only alter the quantity and quality of seed dispersal but
also restructure plant–frugivore networks. Here, we explore the potential
consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation to plant-frugivore
interactions. By integrating natural history, empirical evidence, and
metacommunity theory, we also outline a conceptual model to disentangle
the contributions of habitat loss and fragmentation per se in shaping
frugivory, seed dispersal, and network structure. We argue that advancing
this understanding is critical for predicting indirect effects of
landscape change and for guiding conservation and restoration strategies
that maintain biodiversity and ecological function. We hypothesize that
habitat loss will also prevail as the main driver of the disruption of
plant-frugivore networks and their functional consequences.