Role of mammals on seed dispersal and predation processes of Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae) in the Colombian Amazon

Acevedo-Quintero, Juan Fernando; Zamora-Ábrego, Joan Gastón

doi:10.15517/rbt.v64i1.18157

Cited by 19 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The species is likely pollinated by beetles (Barfod, Hagen, & Borchsenius, 2011) and wind (Rosa & Koptur, 2013). Seeds are dispersed by a variety of mammals (Acevedo‐Quintero & Zamora‐Abrego, 2016) and fruits are capable of floating (Moegenburg, 2002). Mauritia flexuosa generally occurs below 1,000 m over sea level throughout Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Surinam, and Venezuela.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rivers shape population genetic structure in Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae)

Sander

Pérez-Zavala

Silva

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The Mauritia flexuosa L.f. palm is known as the “tree of life” given its importance as fundamental food and construction resources for humans. The species is broadly distributed in wet habitats of Amazonia and dry habitats of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins and in the Cerrado savanna. We collected 179 individuals from eight different localities throughout these habitats and used microsatellites to characterize their population structure and patterns of gene flow. Overall, we found high genetic variation, except in one savanna locality. Gene flow between populations is largely congruent with river basins and the direction of water flow within and among them, suggesting their importance for seed dispersal. Further, rivers have had a higher frequency of human settlements than forested sites, contributing to population diversity and structure through increased human use and consumption of M. flexuosa along rivers. Gene flow patterns revealed that migrants are sourced primarily from within the same river basin, such as those from Madeira and Tapajós basins. Our work suggests that rivers and their inhabitants are a critical element of the landscape in Amazonia and have impacted the dispersal and subsequent distribution of tropical palm species, as shown by the patterns of genetic variation in M. flexuosa.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rivers shape population genetic structure in Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae)

Sander

Pérez-Zavala

Silva

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Lipids stored in the oily mesocarp of fruits typically serve in the attraction of animals that consume these nutritious fruits, thus favoring animal-mediated seed dispersal, or zoochory [100,108]. For example, oily fruits of Euterpe precatoria, Geonoma undata, and Prestoea acuminate represent an important part of the diet of Steatornis caripensis (oilbird) [109], while the black agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa) is the main disperser of the very large oily fruits produced by Mauritia flexuosa [110]. In the fleshy mesocarp of these fruits, triacylglycerol molecules are stored in lipid droplets mostly deprived of oleosins, so that these droplets tend to fuse with one another [111].…”

Section: Biological Functions Of Oils Stored In the Endosperm 41 Prmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Control of Oil Metabolism in the Endosperm of Seeds

Miray

Kazaz

et al. 2021

IJMS

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In angiosperm seeds, the endosperm develops to varying degrees and accumulates different types of storage compounds remobilized by the seedling during early post-germinative growth. Whereas the molecular mechanisms controlling the metabolism of starch and seed-storage proteins in the endosperm of cereal grains are relatively well characterized, the regulation of oil metabolism in the endosperm of developing and germinating oilseeds has received particular attention only more recently, thanks to the emergence and continuous improvement of analytical techniques allowing the evaluation, within a spatial context, of gene activity on one side, and lipid metabolism on the other side. These studies represent a fundamental step toward the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms governing oil metabolism in this particular tissue. In particular, they highlight the importance of endosperm-specific transcriptional controls for determining original oil compositions usually observed in this tissue. In the light of this research, the biological functions of oils stored in the endosperm of seeds then appear to be more diverse than simply constituting a source of carbon made available for the germinating seedling.

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“…primates, rodents, marsupials, cingulates and ungulates) transport palm fruits to other sites or feeding trees, away from parent palms, where they feed on the pulp and then discard the viable and cleaned palm seeds (e.g. Cintra & Horna, 1997 ; Fragoso et al ., 2003 ; Pimentel & Tabarelli, 2004 ; Beck, 2006 ; Keuroghlian & Eaton, 2009 ; Brown, 2011 ; Silva et al ., 2011 ; Acevedo‐Quintero & Zamora‐Abrego, 2016 ; Canale et al ., 2016 ; Junges et al ., 2018 ). The dispersal distances are typically rather short (e.g.…”

Section: Interaction Outcomes In Palm–frugivore Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Jansen, Bongers & Hemerik, 2004 ) or exclosure experiments (Hulme, 1994 ) have an advantage over visual observations because they provide a semi‐controlled setting to evaluate the number of fruits or seeds taken by animals. When used in combination with camera traps, such experiments are effective ways for evaluating species‐specific visitation and fruit or seed removal rates, as well as in situ pulp consumption (Jansen et al ., 2012 ; Acevedo‐Quintero & Zamora‐Abrego, 2016 ; Campos et al ., 2018 ; Meiga & Christianini, 2020 ; Selwyn et al ., 2020 ).…”

Section: Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The mutualism–antagonism continuum in Neotropical palm–frugivore interactions: from interaction outcomes to ecosystem dynamics

Dracxler

Kissling

2021

Biological Reviews

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Frugivory, that is feeding on fruits, pulp or seeds by animals, is usually considered a mutualism when interactions involve seed dispersal, and an antagonism when it results in the predation and destruction of seeds. Nevertheless, most frugivory interactions involve both benefits and disadvantages for plants, and the net interaction outcomes thus tend to vary along a continuum from mutualism to antagonism. Quantifying outcome variation is challenging and the ecological contribution of frugivorous animals to plant demography thus remains little explored. This is particularly true for interactions in which animals do not ingest entire fruits, that is in seed‐eating and pulp‐eating. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of Neotropical palm–frugivore interactions, with a focus on how frugivore consumption behaviour (i.e. digestive processing, fruit‐handling ability and caching behaviour) and feeding types (fruit‐eating, pulp‐eating and seed‐eating) influence interaction outcomes at different demographic stages of palms. We compiled a total of 1043 species‐level palm–frugivore interaction records that explicitly captured information on which parts of palm fruits are eaten by animals. These records showed consumption of fruits of 106 Neotropical palm species by 273 vertebrate species, especially birds (50%) and mammals (45%), but also fish (3%) and reptiles (2%). Fruit‐eating involved all four taxonomic vertebrate classes whereas seed‐eating and pulp‐eating were only recorded among birds and mammals. Most fruit‐eating interactions (77%) resulted in positive interaction outcomes for plants (e.g. gut‐passed seeds are viable or seeds are successfully dispersed), regardless of the digestive processing type of vertebrate consumers (seed defecation versus regurgitation). The majority of pulp‐eating interactions (91%) also resulted in positive interaction outcomes, for instance via pulp removal that promoted seed germination or via dispersal of intact palm seeds by external transport, especially if animals have a good fruit‐handling ability (e.g. primates, and some parrots). By contrast, seed‐eating interactions mostly resulted in dual outcomes (60%), where interactions had both negative effects on seed survival and positive outcomes through seed caching and external (non‐digestive) seed dispersal. A detailed synthesis of available field studies with qualitative and quantitative information provided evidence that 12 families and 27 species of mammals and birds are predominantly on the mutualistic side of the continuum whereas five mammalian families, six mammal and one reptile species are on the antagonistic side. The synthesis also revealed that most species can act as partial mutualists, even if they are typically considered antagonists. Our review demonstrates how different consumption behaviours and feeding types of vertebrate fruit consumers can influence seed dispersal and regeneration of palms, and thus ultimately affect the structure and functioning of tropical ecosystems. Variation in feeding types of anim...

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Role of mammals on seed dispersal and predation processes of Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae) in the Colombian Amazon

Cited by 19 publications

References 49 publications

Rivers shape population genetic structure in Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae)

Rivers shape population genetic structure in Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae)

Molecular Control of Oil Metabolism in the Endosperm of Seeds

The mutualism–antagonism continuum in Neotropical palm–frugivore interactions: from interaction outcomes to ecosystem dynamics

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