Trait matching and sampling effort shape the structure of the frugivory network in Afrotropical forests

Summary Frugivory in tropical forests is a major ecological process as most tree species rely on frugivores to disperse their seeds. However, the underlying mechanisms driving frugivore–plant networks remain understudied. Here, we evaluate the data available on the Afrotropical frugivory network to...

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Published in:The New phytologist 2023-02, Vol.237 (4), p.1446-1462
Main Authors: Durand‐Bessart, Clémentine, Cordeiro, Norbert J., Chapman, Colin A., Abernethy, Katharine, Forget, Pierre‐Michel, Fontaine, Colin, Bretagnolle, François
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
block models
Community composition
conservation
downsizing crisis
Ecology, environment
Feeding Behavior
Forests
Frugivores
Frugivory
Fruit
Fruits
functional redundancy
Geographical distribution
Life Sciences
Mammals
mutualism
Plant species
Plants
Sampling
Seed Dispersal
Seeds
Species composition
tropical ecology
Tropical forests
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Summary:Summary Frugivory in tropical forests is a major ecological process as most tree species rely on frugivores to disperse their seeds. However, the underlying mechanisms driving frugivore–plant networks remain understudied. Here, we evaluate the data available on the Afrotropical frugivory network to identify structural properties, as well as assess knowledge gaps. We assembled a database of frugivory interactions from the literature with > 10 000 links, between 807 tree and 285 frugivore species. We analysed the network structure using a block model that groups species with similar interaction patterns and estimates interaction probabilities among them. We investigated the species traits related to this grouping structure. This frugivory network was simplified into 14 tree and 14 frugivore blocks. The block structure depended on the sampling effort among species: Large mammals were better‐studied, while smaller frugivores were the least studied. Species traits related to frugivory were strong predictors of the species composition of blocks and interactions among them. Fruits from larger trees were consumed by most frugivores, and large frugivores had higher probabilities to consume larger fruits. To conclude, this large‐scale frugivory network was mainly structured by species traits involved in frugivory, and as expected by the distribution areas of species, while still being limited by sampling incompleteness.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.18619