Seed Dispersal by Cattle: Natural History and Applications to Neotropical Forest Restoration and Agroforestry

Author(s):  
Clara Luz Miceli-Mèndez ◽  
Bruce G. Ferguson ◽  
Neptalì Ramìrez-Marcial
2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 160538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanya G. Rohwer ◽  
Anton Pauw ◽  
Paul R. Martin

Characterizing many species interactions as mutualisms can be misleading because some members of the interaction derive greater fitness benefits at the expense of other members. We provide detailed natural history data on a suspected bird–plant mutualism in South Africa where many species of birds use fluffy Eriocephalus seed material to construct their nests, potentially dispersing seeds for the plant. We focus on a common bird, Prinia maculosa , which invests heavily in gathering Eriocephalus material. Prinias spent 5 of their median 6-day nest construction period adding seed material to their nests and frequently travelled outside their territory boundary to gather Eriocephalus material. Yet, prinias gathered primarily Eriocephalus fluff and actively avoided gathering seeds. The average prinia nest contained only 6.6 seeds, but contained fluff from 579 seeds. These data suggest that prinias provide limited dispersal benefits to Eriocephalus plants. By contrast, the large amounts of Eriocephalus fluff in prinia nests, and the effort that prinias invest in gathering it, suggest that prinias benefit from constructing their nests with Eriocephalus material. We end by outlining hypotheses for possible fitness benefits that Eriocephalus material could provide prinias and other birds.


2016 ◽  
Vol 188 (5) ◽  
pp. E126-E133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flávia Delgado Santana ◽  
Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro ◽  
Flávia Regina Capellotto Costa

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 1072-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Leighton Reid ◽  
Karen D. Holl ◽  
Rakan A. Zahawi

Zootaxa ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 4347 (3) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
CORNELIO ANDRÉS BOTA-SIERRA ◽  
RODOLFO NOVELO-GUTIÉRREZ

The Neotropical forest specialist genus Heteragrion counts with 54 species and one subspecies described to date, eight of which have been recorded from Colombia. Here, information on Heteragrion species resulting from ten years of exploration of northwestern Colombia and examination of museum collections, including types and species from Central America, is presented. A new species endemic to the Tatamá National Park in the western Andes, Heteragrion tatama sp. nov. is described, as well as the female of Heteragrion aequatoriale Selys, 1886. Heteragrion calendulum Williamson, 1919 was rediscovered, a century after its first collection, which allowed us to compare it with Heteragrion atrolineatum Donnelly, 1992, and to conclude that the latter species is its junior synonym. We present pictures of female prothoracic intersternite, which offer valuable taxonomic information. The variation in coloration patterns for H. aequatoriale and Heteragrion mitratum Williamson, 1919 is discussed, and maps with new distributional data, a taxonomic key, natural history notes and photographs of the Heteragrion species distributed west of the Magdalena valley in Colombia, are also provided. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Diego Salas ◽  
David Villalobos-Chávez

Animal-plant interactions are ubiquitous and critical for tropical ecosystem functioning. Neotropical rodents perform key ecosystem functions such as seed dispersal and predation, however few information is available regarding their ecological interactions. Here, we reported the interaction between the Sumichrast’s Vesper Rat, Nyctomys sumichrasti, and the plant Jacaratia spinosa in the Central Caribbean of Costa Rica. Rodents were observed feeding on the flesh and seeds of the plants. Natural history observations such as this are critical to the knowledge on the feeding links of poorly known Neotropical rodents.


2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 227-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Joseph Wright ◽  
Horacio Zeballos ◽  
Iván Domínguez ◽  
Marina M. Gallardo ◽  
Marta C. Moreno ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 733-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
DETLEV H. KELM ◽  
KERSTIN R. WIESNER ◽  
OTTO von HELVERSEN

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