Reliability of macaques as seed dispersers. Issue 5 (24th February 2020)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Reliability of macaques as seed dispersers. Issue 5 (24th February 2020)
- Main Title:
- Reliability of macaques as seed dispersers
- Authors:
- Sengupta, Asmita
Gazagne, Eva
Albert‐Daviaud, Aurelie
Tsuji, Yamato
Radhakrishna, Sindhu - Abstract:
- Abstract: Seed dispersal is an ecological process crucial for forest regeneration and recruitment. To date, most studies on frugivore seed dispersal have used the seed dispersal effectiveness framework and have documented seed‐handling mechanisms, dispersal distances and the effect of seed handling on germination. In contrast, there has been no exploration of "disperser reliability" which is essential to determine if a frugivore is an effective disperser only in particular regions/years/seasons or across a range of spatio‐temporal scales. In this paper, we propose a practical framework to assess the spatial reliability of frugivores as seed dispersers. We suggest that a frugivore genus would be a reliable disperser of certain plant families/genera if: (a) fruits of these plant families/genera are represented in the diets of most of the species of that frugivore, (b) these are consumed by the frugivore genus across different kinds of habitats, and (c) these fruits feature among the yearly staples and preferred fruits in the diets of the frugivore genus. Using this framework, we reviewed frugivory by the genus Macaca across Asia to assess its spatial reliability as seed dispersers. We found that the macaques dispersed the seeds of 11 plant families and five plant genera including at least 82 species across habitats. Differences in fruit consumption/preference between different groups of macaques were driven by variation in plant community composition across habitats. We positAbstract: Seed dispersal is an ecological process crucial for forest regeneration and recruitment. To date, most studies on frugivore seed dispersal have used the seed dispersal effectiveness framework and have documented seed‐handling mechanisms, dispersal distances and the effect of seed handling on germination. In contrast, there has been no exploration of "disperser reliability" which is essential to determine if a frugivore is an effective disperser only in particular regions/years/seasons or across a range of spatio‐temporal scales. In this paper, we propose a practical framework to assess the spatial reliability of frugivores as seed dispersers. We suggest that a frugivore genus would be a reliable disperser of certain plant families/genera if: (a) fruits of these plant families/genera are represented in the diets of most of the species of that frugivore, (b) these are consumed by the frugivore genus across different kinds of habitats, and (c) these fruits feature among the yearly staples and preferred fruits in the diets of the frugivore genus. Using this framework, we reviewed frugivory by the genus Macaca across Asia to assess its spatial reliability as seed dispersers. We found that the macaques dispersed the seeds of 11 plant families and five plant genera including at least 82 species across habitats. Differences in fruit consumption/preference between different groups of macaques were driven by variation in plant community composition across habitats. We posit that it is essential to maintain viable populations of macaques across their range and keep human interventions at a minimum to ensure that they continue to reliably disperse the seeds of a broad range of plant species in the Anthropocene. We further suggest that this framework be used for assessing the spatial reliability of other taxonomic groups as seed dispersers. Abstract : Rhesus macaques (in the photograph) as well as other Macaca species reliably disperse the seeds of many plant families. Photo credit: Suresh Roy. Research Highlights: 1. We propose a practical framework to assess seed dispersal reliability of frugivores. 2. We reviewed frugivory by the genus Macaca using this framework. 3. The macaques are reliable seed dispersers for 11 plant families and five genera across habitats. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- American journal of primatology. Volume 82:Issue 5(2020)
- Journal:
- American journal of primatology
- Issue:
- Volume 82:Issue 5(2020)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 82, Issue 5 (2020)
- Year:
- 2020
- Volume:
- 82
- Issue:
- 5
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2020-0082-0005-0000
- Page Start:
- n/a
- Page End:
- n/a
- Publication Date:
- 2020-02-24
- Subjects:
- Anthropocene -- fruit families/genera -- Macaca -- seed dispersal reliability
Primates -- Periodicals
Primates -- Périodiques
599.8 - Journal URLs:
- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1098-2345 ↗
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1002/ajp.23115 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 0275-2565
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 0834.400000
British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 13198.xml