The mutualism-antagonism continuum in Neotropical palm-frugivore interactions: from interaction outcomes to ecosystem dynamics

Frugivory, i.e. feeding on fruits, pulp or seeds by animals, is usually considered a mutualism when interactions involve seed dispersal, and an antagonism when it results in the predation and destruction of seeds. Nevertheless, most frugivory interactions involve both benefits and disadvantages for plants, and the net interaction outcomes thus tend to vary along a continuum from mutualism to antagonism. Quantifying outcome variation is challenging and the ecological contribution of frugivorous animals to plant demography thus remains little explored. This is particularly true for interactions in which animals do not ingest entire fruits, i.e. in seed-eating and pulp-eating. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of Neotropical palm–frugivore interactions, with a focus on how frugivore consumption behaviour (i.e. digestive processing, caching behaviour and fruit-handling ability) and feeding types (fruit-eating, pulp-eating and seed-eating) influence interaction outcomes at different de...食果作用（Frugivory），即动物取食果实、果肉或种子的行为，通常在其相互作用涉及种子传播时被视为互利共生，而当其导致种子被捕食与破坏时则被视作拮抗作用。然而，多数食果作用的种间相互作用对植物同时兼具收益与代价，因此该相互作用的净效应往往呈现从互利共生到拮抗作用的连续变化谱系。对效应变异进行量化颇具挑战，故而食果动物对植物种群动态的生态贡献仍鲜有探索。对于动物并非完整取食果实的相互作用（即仅取食种子或仅取食果肉的情形），这一研究现状尤为突出。本研究对新热带区棕榈-食果动物相互作用开展全面综述，重点探讨食果动物的取食行为（即消化处理、贮食行为与果实处理能力）以及取食类型（取食完整果实、取食果肉与取食种子）如何在不同的……影响该相互作用的效应。