No abstract

Protected areas have been important in reducing tropical forest biodiversity loss. Costa Rica has been a model country in protecting forests and promoting conservation. However, many Costa Rican protected areas are surrounded by highly modified habitat and may be losing species, either because they are too small to support viable populations or are too isolated to allow for population connectivity. We used camera traps to study terrestrial mammal and terrestrial bird populations in the Monteverde-Arenal Bioregion of northwestern Costa Rica. We sampled core protected areas and nearby unprotected, fragmented habitats. Of 33 species historically found in the region, we detected 25. However, most species were rarely detected, and only five were found more than once per 30 days of camera time. The most commonly detected species represented major feeding groups, including obligate herbivores, omnivores, and obligate carnivores. Most ungulates were rare and may not have viable population sizes. However, a top predator, the puma (Puma concolor), was commonly detected. Fragmented areas had lower abundance and fewer species detected; a few species were not detected at all, even though some of them were abundant in the core protected areas. We suggest that conservation efforts are protecting some terrestrial mammals and birds, and there is a functioning food web. However, many species are either rare or extirpated, indicating the Monteverde-Arenal Bioregion is a partially defaunated landscape.

Several North American trees are hypothesized to have lost their co‐evolved seed disperser during the late‐Pleistocene extinction and are therefore considered anachronistic. We tested this hypothesis for the American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) by studying the effects of gut passage of proposed seed dispersers on seedling survival and growth, natural fruiting characteristics, and modern animal consumption patterns. We tested gut passage effects on persimmon seeds using three native living species, the raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), and coyote (Canis latrans), and two Pleistocene analogs; the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and alpaca (Vicugna pacos). Persimmon seeds excreted by raccoons, coyotes, and elephants survived gut transit. Gut passage did not affect sprouting success, but did tend to decrease time to sprout and increase seedling quality. Under field conditions, persimmon fruits were palatable on the parent tree and on the ground for an equal duration, but most fruits were consumed on the ground. Seven vertebrate species fed upon persimmon fruits, with the white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)—a species not capable of dispersing persimmon seeds—comprising over 90% of detections. Conversely, potential living seed dispersers were rarely detected. Our results suggest the American persimmon evolved to attract a variety of seed dispersers and thus is not anachronistic. However, human‐induced changes in mammal communities could be affecting successful seed dispersal. We argue that changes in the relative abundance of mammals during the Anthropocene may be modifying seed dispersal patterns, leading to potential changes in forest community composition.