Vertebrate dispersal syndromes along the Atlantic forest: broad-scale patterns and macroecological correlates

Aim To assess the geographical variation in the relative importance of vertebrates, and more specifically of birds and mammals, as seed dispersal agents in forest communities, and to evaluate the influence of geographical and climatic factors on the observed trends. Location One hundred and thirty-five forest communities in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Methods We collected data on dispersal modes for 2292 woody species. By combining species × site with species × trait matrices, we obtained the percentages of endozoochory, ornithochory, mastozoochory and the mean fruit diameter for the local forest communities. We used Spearman’s correlation to assess bivariate relationships between variables. Subsequently, we performed paired t-tests to verify if variations in frequency of dispersal modes and mean fruit diameter were influenced by altitude or temperature. Then, we applied multiple linear regressions to evaluate the effect of geographical and climatic variables on variation in the relative frequency of dispersal modes and mean fruit diameter across communities. Results We found no consistent latitudinal or longitudinal trend in the percentage of vertebrate-dispersed species, neither bird- nor mammal-dispersed species along the Atlantic forest. Endozoochory was affected chiefly by annual mean rainfall, increasing towards moister sites. Forest communities located at higher altitudes had a higher percentage of bird-dispersed species. Even when sites with identical values of annual mean temperature were compared, altitude had a positive effect on ornithochory. Conversely, we found a higher percentage of mammal-dispersed species in warmer forests, even when locations at the same altitudinal belts were contrasted. Fruit diameter was clearly related to altitude, decreasing towards higher elevations. Main conclusions This is the first analysis of a large data set on dispersal syndromes in tropical forest communities. Our findings support the hypotheses that: (1) geographical variation in the relative number of fleshy fruit species is mainly driven by moisture conditions and is relatively independent of geographical location, and (2) broad-scale trends in fruit size correspond to geographical variation in the relative importance of mammals and birds as seed dispersal agents at the community level.Peer reviewe

Vertebrate dispersal syndromes along the Atlantic forest: broad-scale patterns and macroecological correlates

Aim To assess the geographical variation in the relative importance of vertebrates, and more specifically of birds and mammals, as seed dispersal agents in forest communities, and to evaluate the influence of geographical and climatic factors on the observed trends. Location One hundred and thirty-five forest communities in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Methods We collected data on dispersal modes for 2292 woody species. By combining species x site with species x trait matrices, we obtained the percentages of endozoochory, ornithochory, mastozoochory and the mean fruit diameter for the local forest communities. We used Spearman's correlation to assess bivariate relationships between variables. Subsequently, we performed paired t-tests to verify if variations in frequency of dispersal modes and mean fruit diameter were influenced by altitude or temperature. Then, we applied multiple linear regressions to evaluate the effect of geographical and climatic variables on variation in the relative frequency of dispersal modes and mean fruit diameter across communities. Results We found no consistent latitudinal or longitudinal trend in the percentage of vertebrate-dispersed species, neither bird- nor mammal-dispersed species along the Atlantic forest. Endozoochory was affected chiefly by annual mean rainfall, increasing towards moister sites. Forest communities located at higher altitudes had a higher percentage of bird-dispersed species. Even when sites with identical values of annual mean temperature were compared, altitude had a positive effect on ornithochory. Conversely, we found a higher percentage of mammal-dispersed species in warmer forests, even when locations at the same altitudinal belts were contrasted. Fruit diameter was clearly related to altitude, decreasing towards higher elevations. Main conclusions This is the first analysis of a large data set on dispersal syndromes in tropical forest communities. Our findings support the hypotheses that: (1) geographical variation in the relative number of fleshy fruit species is mainly driven by moisture conditions and is relatively independent of geographical location, and (2) broad-scale trends in fruit size correspond to geographical variation in the relative importance of mammals and birds as seed dispersal agents at the community level.17450351

Vertebrate Dispersal Syndromes Along The Atlantic Forest: Broad-scale Patterns And Macroecological Correlates

Aim: To assess the geographical variation in the relative importance of vertebrates, and more specifically of birds and mammals, as seed dispersal agents in forest communities, and to evaluate the influence of geographical and climatic factors on the observed trends. Location: One hundred and thirty-five forest communities in the Brazilian Atlantic forest. Methods: We collected data on dispersal modes for 2292 woody species. By combining species × site with species × trait matrices, we obtained the percentages of endozoochory, ornithochory, mastozoochory and the mean fruit diameter for the local forest communities. We used Spearman's correlation to assess bivariate relationships between variables. Subsequently, we performed paired t-tests to verify if variations in frequency of dispersal modes and mean fruit diameter were influenced by altitude or temperature. Then, we applied multiple linear regressions to evaluate the effect of geographical and climatic variables on variation in the relative frequency of dispersal modes and mean fruit diameter across communities. Results: We found no consistent latitudinal or longitudinal trend in the percentage of vertebrate-dispersed species, neither bird- nor mammal-dispersed species along the Atlantic forest. Endozoochory was affected chiefly by annual mean rainfall, increasing towards moister sites. Forest communities located at higher altitudes had a higher percentage of bird-dispersed species. Even when sites with identical values of annual mean temperature were compared, altitude had a positive effect on ornithochory. Conversely, we found a higher percentage of mammal-dispersed species in warmer forests, even when locations at the same altitudinal belts were contrasted. Fruit diameter was clearly related to altitude, decreasing towards higher elevations. Main conclusions: This is the first analysis of a large data set on dispersal syndromes in tropical forest communities. Our findings support the hypotheses that: (1) geographical variation in the relative number of fleshy fruit species is mainly driven by moisture conditions and is relatively independent of geographical location, and (2) broad-scale trends in fruit size correspond to geographical variation in the relative importance of mammals and birds as seed dispersal agents at the community level. © 2008 The Author Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing.174503513Baker, H.G., Seed weight in relation to environmental conditions in California (1972) Ecology, 53, pp. 997-1010Borcard, D., Legendre, P., All-scale spatial analysis of ecological data by means of principal coordinates of neighbour matrices (2002) Ecological Modelling, 153, pp. 51-68Bullock, S.H., Plant reproduction in neotropical dry forests (1995) Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests, pp. 277-297. , (ed. by S. Bullock, H. Mooney and E. Medina) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UKBurnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R., (2002) Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical-theoretic Approach, , 2nd edn. Springer-Verlag, New York(1992) Resoluções CONAMA. 1984-1991: Resolução Número 20 De 18 De Junho De 1986, , CONAMA-Conselho Nacional do Meio Ambiente -BrasilCorrea, S.B., Winemiller, K.O., López-Fernández, H., Galetti, M., Evolutionary perspectives on seed consumption and dispersal by fishes (2007) Bioscience, 57, pp. 748-756Da Silva, H.R., Britto-Pereira, M.C., Caramaschi, U., Frugivory and seed dispersal by Hyla truncata, a neotropical treefrog (1989) Copeia, 3, pp. 781-783Diniz-Filho, J.A.F., Bini, L.M., Hawkins, B.A., Spatial autocorrelation and red herrings in geographical ecology (2003) Global Ecology and Biogeography, 12, pp. 53-64Diniz-Filho, J.A.F., Bini, L.M., Modelling geographical patterns in species richness using eigenvector-based spatial filters (2005) Global Ecology and Biogeography, 14, pp. 177-185(1992) Normais Climatológicas (1961-1990), , DNMet Departamento Nacional de Meteorologia, Ministério da Agricultura, Brasília, BrazilDonatti, C.I., Galetti, M., Pizo, M.A., Guimarães, P.R., Jordano, P., Living in the land of ghosts: Fruit traits and the importance of large mammals as seed dispersers in the Pantanal, Brazil (2007) Seed Dispersal: Theory and Its Application in A Changing World, pp. 104-123. , (ed. by A.J. Dennis, E.W. Schupp, R.J. Green and D.W. Westcott) CAB International, Wallingford, UKDutilleul, P., Modifying the t-test for assessing the correlation between two spatial processes (1993) Biometrics, 49, pp. 305-314Eriksson, O., Friis, E.M., Löfgren, P., Seed size, fruit size, and dispersal systems in angiosperms from the Early Cretaceous to the Late Tertiary (2000) The American Naturalist, 156, pp. 47-58Figueira, J.E.C., Vasconcellos-Neto, J., Garcia, M.A., de Souza, A.L.T., Saurocory in Melocactus violaceus (Cactaceae) (1994) Biotropica, 26, pp. 295-301(1998) Atlas Da Evolução Dos Remanescentes Florestais Da Mata Atlântica E Ecossistemas Associados No Período De 1990-1995, , Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica/INPE/Instituto Socio-ambiental Fundação SOS Mata Atlântica/INPE/ Instituto Socio-ambiental (ISA), São PauloGentry, A.H., Patterns of neotropical plant species diversity (1982) Evolutionary Biology, 15, pp. 1-84Gentry, A.H., Diversity and floristic composition of neotropical dry forests (1995) Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests, pp. 146-194. , (ed. by H. Bullock, H.A. Mooney and E. Medina) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UKGill, A.M., Brooker, M.I.H., Moore, P.H.R., Seed weights and numbers as a function of fruit size and subgenus in some Eucalyptus species from south-western Australia (1992) Australian Journal of Botany, 40, pp. 103-111Githiru, M., Lens, L., Bennur, L.A., Ogol, C., Effects of site and fruit size on the composition of avian frugivore assemblages in a fragmented afrotropical forest (2002) Oikos, 96, pp. 320-330Graham, M.H., Confronting multicollinearity in ecological multiple regression (2003) Ecology, 84, pp. 2809-2815Griffith, D.A., Spatial autocorrelation and spatial filtering (2003) Gaining Understanding Through Theory and Visualization, , Springer-Verlag, BerlinGriffiths, M.E., Lawes, J.L., Biogeographic, environmental, and phylogenetic influences on reproductive traits in subtropical forest trees, South Africa (2006) Ecography, 29, pp. 614-622Grubb, P.J., Metcalfe, D.J., Adaptation and inertia in the Australian tropical lowland rain forest floracontradictory trends in intergeneric and intrageneric comparisons of seed size in relation to light demand (1996) Functional Ecology, 10, pp. 512-520Hammond, D., Brown, V., Seed size of woody plants in relation to disturbance, dispersal, soil type in wet neotropical forests (1995) Ecology, 76, pp. 2544-2561Harper, J.L., Lovell, P.H., Moore, K.G., The shapes and sizes of seeds (1970) Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 1, pp. 327-356Herrera, C.M., Vertebrate-dispersed plants of the Iberian Peninsula: A study of fruit characteristics (1987) Ecological Monographs, 57, pp. 305-331Howe, H.F., Smallwood, J., Ecology of seed dispersal (1982) Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 13, pp. 201-228Hughes, L., Dunlop, M., French, K., Leishman, M.R., Rice, B., Rodgerson, L., Westoby, M., Predicting dispersal spectra: A minimal set of hypotheses based on plant attributes (1994) Journal of Ecology, 82, pp. 933-950Jordano, P., Angiosperm fleshy fruits and seed dispersers: A comparative analysis of adaptation and constraints in plant-animal interactions (1995) The American Naturalist, 145, pp. 163-191Jordano, P., Fruits and frugivory (2000) Seeds: The Ecology of Regeneration in Plant Communities, pp. 125-166. , (ed. by M. Fenner) CAB International, Wallingford, UKKoenig, W.D., Knops, J.M.H., Testing for spatial autocorrelation in ecological studies (1998) Ecography, 21, pp. 423-429Legendre, P., Spatial autocorrelation: Trouble or a new paradigm? (1993) Ecology, 74, pp. 1659-1673Legendre, P., Legendre, L., (1998) Numerical Ecology, , 2nd edn. Elsevier, AmsterdamLeishman, M.R., Wright, I.J., Moles, A.T., Westoby, M., The evolutionary ecology of seed size (2000) The Ecology of Regeneration in Plant Communities, pp. 31-58. , (ed. by M. Fenner) CAB International, Wallingford, UKLevey, D., Seed size and fruit-handling techniques of avian frugivores (1987) The American Naturalist, 129, pp. 471-485Lord, J., Egan, J., Clifford, T., Jurado, E., Leishman, M., Williams, D., Westoby, M., Larger seeds in tropical floras: Consistent patterns independent of growth form and dispersal mode (1997) Journal of Biogeography, 24, pp. 205-211Lorenzi, H., (2002) Árvores Brasileiras: Manual De Identificação E Cultivo De Plantas Arbóreas Do Brasil, 1-2. , 4th edn. Instituto Plantarum, Nova Odessa, Brazil(1906) Flora Brasiliensis, , Martius, C.F.P. von, Endlicher, S., Eichler, A.G. & Urban, J. (eds) München, Wien, Leipzig, Germany. 15 volumesMetcalfe, D.J., Grubb, P.J., The ecology of very small-seeded shade-tolerant trees and shrubs in lowland rain forest in Singapore (1997) Functional Ecology, 11, pp. 215-221(1999) Diretrizes Para a Política De Conservação E Desenvolvimento Sustentável Da Mata Atlântica, , Ministério do Meio Ambiente Caderno número 13. Brasília, DF, BrazilMittermeier, R.A., Robles-Gil, P., Hoffman, M., Pilgrim, J.D., Brooks, T.M., Mittermeier, C.G., Lamoreux, J.L., da Fonseca, G.A.B., (2004) Hotspots Revisited: Earth's Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions, , CEMEX, Mexico CityMoles, A.T., Ackerly, D.D., Tweddle, J.C., Dickie, J.B., Smith, R., Leishman, M.R., Mayfield, M.M., Westoby, M., Global patterns in seed size (2007) Global Ecology and Biogeography, 16, pp. 109-116Oliveira-Filho, A.T., Fontes, M.A., Patterns of floristic differentiation among Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil and the influence of climate (2000) Biotropica, 32, pp. 793-810Oliveira-Filho, A.T., Jarenkow, J.A., Rodal, M.J.N., Floristic relationships of seasonally dry forests of eastern South America based on tree species distribution patterns (2006) Neotropical Savannas and Dry Forests: Plant Diversity, Biogeography and Conservation, pp. 159-192. , (ed. by R.T. Pennington, J.A. Ratter and G.P. Lewis) CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, USAvan der Pijl, L., (1982) Principles of Dispersal in Higher Plants, , 3rd edn. Springer-Verlag, BerlinPrimack, R.B., Relationships among flowers, fruits, and seeds (1987) Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 18, pp. 409-430Rangel, T.F.L.V.B., Diniz-Filho, J.A.F., Bini, L.M., Towards an integrated computational tool for spatial analysis in macroecology and biogeography (2007) Global Ecology and Biogeography, 15, pp. 321-327Salisbury, E.J., (1942) The Reproductive Capacity Of Plants, , Bell and Sons, LondonTabarelli, M., Peres, C.A., Abiotic and vertebrate seed dispersal in the Brazilian Atlantic forest: Implications for forest regeneration (2002) Biological Conservation, 106, pp. 165-176Tabarelli, M., Vicente, A., Barbosa, D.C.A., Variation of seed dispersal spectrum of woody plants across a rainfall gradient in north-eastern Brazil (2003) Journal of Arid Environments, 53, pp. 197-210Valido, A., Olesen, J.M., The importance of lizards as seed dispersers (2007) Seed Dispersal: Theory and Its Application in a Changing World, pp. 124-147. , (ed. by A.J. Dennis, E.W. Schupp, R.J. Green and D.W. Westcott) CAB International, Wallingford, UKWestoby, M., Rice, B., Howell, J., Seed size and plant growth form as factors in dispersal spectra (1990) Ecology, 71, pp. 1307-1315Wheelwright, N.T., Fruit size, gape width, and the diets of fruit-eating birds (1985) Ecology, 6, pp. 808-818Willson, M.F., Irvine, A.K., Walsh, N.G., Vertebrate dispersal syndromes in some Australian and New Zealand plant communities, with geographic comparisons (1989) Biotropica, 21, pp. 133-147Willson, M.F., Rice, B.L., Westoby, M., Seed dispersal spectra: A comparison of temperate plant communities (1990) Journal of Vegetation Science, 1, pp. 547-562Wright, I.J., Ackerly, D.D., Bongers, F., Harms, K.E., Ibarra-Manriquez, G., Martinez-Ramos, M., Mazer, S.J., Wright, S.J., Relationships among ecologically important dimensions of plant trait variation in seven neotropical forests (2007) Annals of Botany, 99, pp. 1003-101