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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Habitat fragmentation narrows the distribution of avian functional traits associated with seed dispersal in tropical forest

Full text
Author(s):
Bovo, Alex A. A. [1, 2] ; Ferraz, Katia M. P. M. B. [1] ; Magioli, Marcelo [1] ; Alexandrino, Eduardo R. [1] ; Hasui, Erica [3] ; Ribeiro, Milton C. [4] ; Tobias, Joseph A. [2, 5]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, ESALQ, Dept Forest Sci, Wildlife Ecol Management & Conservat Lab LEMaC, Ave Padua Dias 11, Caixa Postal 09, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Oxford, Dept Zool, Edward Grey Inst, Oxford OX1 3PS - England
[3] Fed Univ Alfenas UNIFAL MG, Inst Nat Sci, BR-37130000 Alfenas, MG - Brazil
[4] UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista, Biosci Inst, Dept Ecol Spatial Ecol & Conservat Lab LEEC, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
[5] Imperial Coll London, Dept Life Sci, Silwood Pk, Buckhurst Rd, Ascot SL5 7PY, Berks - England
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION; v. 16, n. 2, p. 90-96, APR-JUN 2018.
Web of Science Citations: 5
Abstract

Land-use change influences biodiversity in non-random ways, affecting some species and functional groups more than others, with potential implications for the loss or degradation of important ecological processes, such as seed dispersal. Here we investigate the effect of patch-size reduction on the composition and functional richness (FRic) of avian communities in Atlantic Forest fragments, focusing on morphological traits associated with seed dispersal in frugivorous birds. We found that FRic of three key traits hand-wing index, body mass and gape width decreased with patch size reduction, because species with larger values for morphological traits were lost through local extinction. The relative absence of large-gaped and more-dispersive frugivores in small forest fragments has important implications because these species play a pivotal role in seed dispersal, carrying higher seed loads for longer distances, and consuming larger-sized seeds that cannot be dispersed by smaller-gaped frugivores. Our results highlight the importance of preserving large or interconnected habitat patches, and promoting habitat restoration of cleared areas, to ensure that sufficient avian functional diversity is maintained to supply the full range of seed dispersal services required by tropical forests, both currently and in future. (C) 2018 Associacao Brasileira de Ciencia Ecologica e Conservacao. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/24929-9 - Bird assemblages as indicator of forest quality
Grantee:Alex Augusto de Abreu Bovo
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
FAPESP's process: 14/14925-9 - The usage of bird assemblages as environmental quality indicator of forest patches in a highly agricultural landscape
Grantee:Eduardo Roberto Alexandrino
Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 14/10192-7 - Trophic ecology of carnivorous mammals of the Atlantic Forest: use of stable isotope and functional diversity for conservation
Grantee:Marcelo Magioli
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 11/06782-5 - Multi-scale assessment of environmental impacts in agricultural landscape
Grantee:Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 14/23809-2 - Functional changes in frugivorous bird assemblages along a fragmentation gradient
Grantee:Alex Augusto de Abreu Bovo
Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
FAPESP's process: 10/05343-5 - Impacts of the anthropogenic landscape structure and its dynamics on bird communities
Grantee:Eduardo Roberto Alexandrino
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 14/09300-0 - Trophic ecology, functional diversity and occurrence of terrestrial mammals in the Atlantic Forest
Grantee:Katia Maria Paschoaletto Micchi de Barros Ferraz
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 13/50421-2 - New sampling methods and statistical tools for biodiversity research: integrating animal movement ecology with population and community ecology
Grantee:Milton Cezar Ribeiro
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants