Directed vertebrate‐mediated seed dispersal of a fleshy‐fruited amaryllid in a heterogenous habitat

Abstract

Seed dispersal is a key process, contributing to the spread and abundance of plant species and, ultimately, the biotic diversity in communities (Cain et al., 2000;Cousens et al., 2008). The seed dispersers of plants are important for the distances of seed dispersal and the microhabitat in which seeds land, both of which influence the chances of successful recruitment (Howe & Miriti, 2004). The effectiveness of a seed disperser depends on the quality of the seeds dispersed as well as the quality of the habitat provided for each dispersed seed (Schupp, 1993). Seed dispersal kernels (the probabilities of their dispersal distances) affect abundance, diversity, and distribution, which in turn are affected by habitat structure (Levine & Murrel, 2003).Dispersal kernels need to correspond to the spatial structure of the habitat patches required for seedlings to survive and in some cases, this may actually favor short-distance dispersal (Mathius et al., 2001).Plants with seeds dispersed by frugivorous birds and monkeys are usually characterized by fleshy, brightly colored fruits