Fruit characters as a basis of fruit choice and seed dispersal in a tropical forest vertebrate community.

摘要: Interactions between a large community of vertebrate frugivore-granivores (including 7 species canopy birds, 19 rodents, ruminants, and 6 monkeys), 122 fruit they consume, were studied for year in tropical rainforest Gabon. The results show how morphological characters fruits are involved the choice partitioning available spectrum among consumer taxa. Despite an outstanding lack specificity species, consideration simple traits reveals broad character syndromes associated with different Competition distantly related taxa that feed at same height is far more important than has been previously supposed. The also suggest could have evolved under pressure as result roles dispersers or seed predators. Our analyses dispersal occurs mammal mammals birds. There thus bird-monkey syndrome ruminant-rodent-elephant syndrome. includes on which there no pre-dispersal predation. These (berries drupes) brightly colored, succulent pulp arillate seeds, protective cover. (all large, dull-colored, dry fibrous flesh well-protected seeds.