Functional ecology of Neotropical frugivorous birds

Carlo, Tomás A.; Camargo, Paulo H. S. A.; Pizo, Marco Aurélio

doi:10.1007/s43388-022-00093-2

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Functional traits are species' biological features regulating their ecological performance in ecosystems (Smith et al., 2019; Weiss & Ray, 2019). For animals, functional traits are usually represented by their ecomorphological traits, such as fish (Zhao et al., 2019), amphibians (Zhao et al., 2017), lizards (Sinervo et al., 2010), and birds (Carlo et al., 2022). Although these ecomorphological‐based functional traits do not directly measure the functions displayed by animals (e.g., nutrient recycling and trophic interactions), they can effectively reflect and indirectly assess some key functions such as food acquisition, mobility, and defense against predation (Carlo et al., 2022; Sun et al., 2023; Zhao et al., 2019; Zhao, Khatiwada, et al., 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For animals, functional traits are usually represented by their ecomorphological traits, such as fish (Zhao et al., 2019), amphibians (Zhao et al., 2017), lizards (Sinervo et al., 2010), and birds (Carlo et al., 2022). Although these ecomorphological‐based functional traits do not directly measure the functions displayed by animals (e.g., nutrient recycling and trophic interactions), they can effectively reflect and indirectly assess some key functions such as food acquisition, mobility, and defense against predation (Carlo et al., 2022; Sun et al., 2023; Zhao et al., 2019; Zhao, Khatiwada, et al., 2022). In recent decades, some studies indicated that animals ecomorphological‐based functional traits can be affected by habitat features because of phenotypic plasticity (e.g., Shuai et al., 2018; Sun, Zhao, et al., 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of microhabitat features on the intraspecific variability of the distribution and functional traits in a highest elevational distributed lizard

Kang,

Zhao,

Sun

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Exploring the microhabitat determinants of organisms distribution and functional traits differences can help us better understand the importance of intraspecific variations in ecological niches. Investigations on animals functional niche primarily focused on differences among species and tended to neglect the potential variability within species, despite the fact that the ecological and evolutionary importance of intraspecific variations was widely recognized. In this study, we examined the influence of microhabitat features on the intraspecific variability of the distribution and functional traits of a highest elevational distributed lizard species Phrynocephalus erythrurus. To do so, field work was conducted between July and August, 2020 and August and September, 2021 in Namtso watershed in central Xizang, China. Specifically, 11 transects were sampled for P. erythrurus individuals, which were measured for a set of 10 morphological traits. Moreover, 11 microhabitat variables that potentially affect the distribution of lizards were also measured for each transect. Our results indicated that juveniles, males, and females exhibited different functional traits, allowing them to occupy distinct functional space. The distribution of juveniles, males, and females was determined by different microhabitat variables such as illuminance and air temperature. More importantly, these variables also determined the intraspecific functional traits variability in this lizard species. All of these results supported previous claims that intraspecific traits variation should be incorporated into functional ecological studies, and diverse microhabitat features should be conserved to maintain high intraspecific diversity. Future studies can focus on the food analysis to explore the linkage between functional traits and resources utilization within animal populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of microhabitat features on the intraspecific variability of the distribution and functional traits in a highest elevational distributed lizard

Kang,

Zhao,

Sun

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Research into zoochory has focussed mainly on frugivorous vertebrates that disperse seeds found within a fleshy fruit (Green et al, 2022). This is particularly true in the neotropics, where studies of networks of interactions between frugivores and woody plants have given many insights into tropical ecology (Carlo et al, 2022;Souza et al, 2022). This focus is in line with assumptions that plant dispersal mechanisms can be predicted from diaspore morphology (Howe & Smallwood, 1982) and that only flowering plants with a fleshy fruit can be in the 'endozoochory syndrome', implying that endozoochory is exclusive to such plants (Green et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big rodents disperse small seeds and spores in Neotropical wetlands

Hoffmann,

Adolfo,

Green

et al. 2024

Journal of Ecology

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The role of large frugivores in the dispersal of tropical trees has been well‐studied, whereas the importance of the world's largest rodents for plant dispersal has previously been ignored. We studied plant dispersal by gut passage (endozoochory) in Neotropical wetlands by the largest extant rodent, the capybara Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris. We compared it with another of the world's 10 largest rodents, the nutria or coypu Myocastor coypus. We collected 96 faecal samples (50 capybara, 46 nutria) from 10 sites within the Taim Ramsar site in southern Brazil, and extracted intact propagules from 10 g subsamples. Propagules from 27 plant taxa (24 angiosperms, and three aquatic ferns) were recovered, representing 13 plant families. Whole Spirodela (duckweed) plants were dispersed. Seeds from 14 angiosperm taxa were germinated in the laboratory. Taxonomic composition of propagules was significantly different for the two mammals, but propagule size was not. Capybara dispersed more terrestrial propagules per sample, and nutrias more aquatic propagules. When total faecal production was taken into account, an estimated 1025 propagules (including 133 fern spores) were dispersed by each capybara per day, compared with 691 propagules for nutrias (including 566 fern spores). Capybaras have larger home ranges and likely dispersed plants over a greater distance. Synthesis: This is the first demonstration that rodents disperse aquatic pteridophytes as well as flowering plants. Our results suggest that capybaras and nutrias play important, complementary roles in dispersing a variety of aquatic and terrestrial plant species within Neotropical wetlands. Our study indicates that the role of herbivorous mammals as vectors of plants with small seeds and non‐fleshy fruits has been overlooked in the neotropics and that defaunation of large herbivores can have negative consequences, in a manner similar to that previously highlighted for frugivores.

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