Factors Affecting Seed Predation of Eriotheca gracilipes (Bombacaceae) by Parakeets in a Cerrado Fragments

Factors affecting seed predation of Eriotheca gracilipes by parakeets in a cerrado fragment were investigated. Seeds predation intensity was significantly affected by crop size. Larger crop sizes of Eriotheca gracilipes lost a higher proportion of their fruits as a result of psittacid damage. A co-e...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta oecologica (Montrouge) 2008-03, Vol.33 (2), p.240-240
Main Authors: Francisco, Mercival R, Lunardi, Vitor O, Guimaraes, Paulo R, Galetti, Mauro
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Factors affecting seed predation of Eriotheca gracilipes by parakeets in a cerrado fragment were investigated. Seeds predation intensity was significantly affected by crop size. Larger crop sizes of Eriotheca gracilipes lost a higher proportion of their fruits as a result of psittacid damage. A co-evolutionary relationship between psittacids and fruiting plants was suggested for the palms, which evolved very hard nuts, and the predatory macaws of the genus Anodorhynchus, with their powerful beaks. The results indicated that seed predation by B. versicolurus could be a potential selective factor constraining fruit size in E. gracilipes by causing disproportionately high seed loss. Plant aggregation was also predicted to reduce the proportional seed loss to predators because of the higher local seed densities and the potential satiation effects.
ISSN:1146-609X