Defaunation of large mammals leads to an increase in seed predation in the Atlantic forests

Author(s)

Galetti, Mauro ^[1] ; Bovendorp, Ricardo S. ^[1] ; Guevara, Roger ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Paulista, Dept Ecol, UNESP, CP 199, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

^[2] Inst Ecol, AC Dept Biol Evolut, Xalapa 91000, Veracruz - Mexico

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION; v. 3, p. 824-830, JAN 2015.
• Web of Science Citations: 37

Abstract

Defaunation can trigger cascading events in natural communities and may have strong consequences for plant recruitment in tropical forests. Several species of large seed predators, such as deer and peccaries, are facing dramatic population collapse in tropical forests yet we do not have information about the consequences of these extinctions for seed predation. Using remote camera trapswetested if defaunated forests have a lower seed predation rate of a keystone palm (Euterpe edulis) than pristine areas. Contrary to our expectation, we found that seed predation rates were 2.5 higher in defaunated forests and small rodents were responsible for most of the seeds eaten. Our results found that defaunation leads to changes in the seed predator communities with potential consequences for plant-animal interactions. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/01986-0 - Ecological consequences of defaunation in the Atlantic Rainforest
• Grantee: Mauro Galetti Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 07/03392-6 - Effects of the defaunation gradient on plant herbivory, seed predation and dispersal: the Atlantic Rainforest perspective
• Grantee: Mauro Galetti Rodrigues
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants