Frugivore downsizing and the collapse of seed dispersal by fish

摘要: Big animals have always been the major targets of hunters and fishermen. Because body size is strongly related to diverse ecological roles life-history aspects, many ecosystem functions may collapse in defaunated landscapes (Dirzo et al., 2014). Size-selective harvesting tends result populations with smaller individuals, and, consequently, disrupts associated organisms (Norkko 2013, Perez-Mendez al. 2015). In this sense, loss functionality occurs gradually as larger individuals are removed from natural populations, rather than at exact time a species' extinction. Human-mediated extirpations large collapsed animal–plantmutualisms different ecosystems worldwide. Historical incisive hunting pressure on fruiteatingmammals birds leads numerous local extinctions that committed seed dispersal services (Galetti 2013; Markl 2012; Valiente-Banuet However, less commonly acknowledged dispersers, such lizards, tortoises fish, also suffered severely human recent years (Griffiths 2011; For fish particular, overexploitation serious threat fruit-eating species. Commercial sport fisheries target largest not just for esthetics but because yield more meat. Frugivorous keystone group throughout Neotropical freshwater flooded ecosystems, yet it legally-supported cultural practice catch South America.