![]() ![]() A lot more natural history information has been added to the literature since 1998. ![]() Controlling hunting in both forest areas and the agricultural matrix must be a top priority for conservation. Larger and larger-seeded fruits are consumed by progressively fewer dis-persers, and the largest depend on a few species of mammals and birds which are highly vulnerable to hunting, fragmentation, and habitat loss. Small fruits are consumed by a wide range of potential seed dispersal agents, including species that thrive in small forest fragments and degraded landscapes. This paper updates a review of frugivory and seed dispersal by vertebrates in the Oriental Region (tropical and subtropical Asia) published in 1998. Seed dispersal is a key process in plant communities and frugivory is very important in vertebrate communities. In situations where ecological information is incomplete or its retrieval is impractical, this valuable resource will assist conservationists in evaluating the role of figs or their frugivores in tropical forest sites. Finally, fully referenced lists of frugivores recorded at each Ficus species and of Ficus species in the diet of each frugivore are presented as online appendices. We explore the concept of figs as keystone resources and suggest criteria for future investigations of their dietary importance. Our dataset supports previous claims that Ficus is the most important plant genus for tropical frugivores. Throughout our examination of the fig-frugivore interaction we consider phylogenetic factors and make comparisons between large-scale biogeographical regions. This dispersal guild structure is determined by interspeciĀ®c differences in fig design and presentation. Whilst at a gross level there exists considerable overlap between birds, arboreal mammals and fruit bats with regard to the fig species they consume, closer analysis, based on evidence from across the tropics, suggests that discrete guilds of Ficus species differentially attract subsets of sympatric frugivore communities. The diversity of fig-eaters is explained with respect to fig design and nutrient content, phenology of fig ripening and the diversity of fig presentation. In most, but not all, cases fig specialists provide effective seed dispersal services to the Ficus species on which they feed. We assess the role these and other frugivores play in Ficus seed dispersal and identify fig-specialists. Among mammals, the major fig-eating families are Pteropodidae, Cercopithecidae, Sciuridae, Phyllostomidae and Cebidae. In terms of the number of species and genera of fig-eaters and the number of fig species eaten we identify the avian families interacting most with Ficus to be Columbidae, Psittacidae, Pycnonotidae, Bucerotidae, Sturnidae and Lybiidae. In addition to a small number of reptiles and fishes, 1274 bird and mammal species in 523 genera and 92 families are known to eat figs. Explanations are presented for geographical and taxonomic gaps in the otherwise extensive literature. Records of frugivory from over 75 countries are presented for 260 Ficus species (approximately 30%of described species). Moraceae) by vertebrates is reviewed using data from the literature, unpublished accounts and new field data from Borneo and Hong Kong. The consumption of figs (the fruit of Ficus spp.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |