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Complementary roles of two resilient neotropical mammalian seed dispersers

Complementary roles of two resilient neotropical mammalian seed dispersers
Complementary roles of two resilient neotropical mammalian seed dispersers

Capuchin monkeys (Cebus spp. and Sapajus spp.) and coatis (Nasua spp.) coexist in most neotropical forests, including small forest remnants. Both capuchins and coatis eat fruit and disperse seeds, but little is known about whether their roles in seed dispersal are redundant or complementary. We compiled 49 studies from the literature on feeding by capuchins and/or coatis, of which 19 were comprehensive enough for our analyses. We determined the relative importance of fruit eating to each species and compared their diets. Additionally, we analysed the structure of three fruit–frugivore networks built with both animal groups and the fruits they eat and evaluated whether fruit traits influenced the network topology. Fruits represented the largest part of capuchin and coati diets, even though coatis have been known for their opportunistic and generalist diets. Capuchins and coatis also exhibited similar general diet parameters (niche breadth and trophic diversity). The three networks exhibited high connectance values and variable niche overlap. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis, failed to detect any trait or trait combination related to food use. In conclusion, capuchins and coatis both have generalist diets; they feed on many different species of fruits and exhibit important complementarity as seed dispersers. Both are likely to be particularly important seed dispersers in disturbed and fragmented forests.

Cebus, Ecological networks, Frugivory, Nasua, Sapajus, Seed dispersal
1146-609X
9-18
de Almeida, Adriana
ea7dd483-2f72-40b0-976c-6ef3fdadc5d1
Morris, Rebecca J.
f63d9be3-e08f-4251-b6a0-43b312d3997e
Lewis, Owen T.
7e99b2c2-5a31-4009-9037-9cc5a57bd8be
Mikich, Sandra B.
c0784ac6-239b-41e3-a130-d44cfd74aff1
de Almeida, Adriana
ea7dd483-2f72-40b0-976c-6ef3fdadc5d1
Morris, Rebecca J.
f63d9be3-e08f-4251-b6a0-43b312d3997e
Lewis, Owen T.
7e99b2c2-5a31-4009-9037-9cc5a57bd8be
Mikich, Sandra B.
c0784ac6-239b-41e3-a130-d44cfd74aff1

de Almeida, Adriana, Morris, Rebecca J., Lewis, Owen T. and Mikich, Sandra B. (2018) Complementary roles of two resilient neotropical mammalian seed dispersers. Acta Oecologica, 88, 9-18. (doi:10.1016/j.actao.2018.02.011).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Capuchin monkeys (Cebus spp. and Sapajus spp.) and coatis (Nasua spp.) coexist in most neotropical forests, including small forest remnants. Both capuchins and coatis eat fruit and disperse seeds, but little is known about whether their roles in seed dispersal are redundant or complementary. We compiled 49 studies from the literature on feeding by capuchins and/or coatis, of which 19 were comprehensive enough for our analyses. We determined the relative importance of fruit eating to each species and compared their diets. Additionally, we analysed the structure of three fruit–frugivore networks built with both animal groups and the fruits they eat and evaluated whether fruit traits influenced the network topology. Fruits represented the largest part of capuchin and coati diets, even though coatis have been known for their opportunistic and generalist diets. Capuchins and coatis also exhibited similar general diet parameters (niche breadth and trophic diversity). The three networks exhibited high connectance values and variable niche overlap. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis, failed to detect any trait or trait combination related to food use. In conclusion, capuchins and coatis both have generalist diets; they feed on many different species of fruits and exhibit important complementarity as seed dispersers. Both are likely to be particularly important seed dispersers in disturbed and fragmented forests.

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Author_accepted_version_deAlmeida_CapuchinsCoatis_AOec - Accepted Manuscript
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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 22 February 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 March 2018
Published date: 1 April 2018
Keywords: Cebus, Ecological networks, Frugivory, Nasua, Sapajus, Seed dispersal

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 421641
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/421641
ISSN: 1146-609X
PURE UUID: 5d44eea1-f46c-43e7-bee9-7c0ca3e8f547
ORCID for Rebecca J. Morris: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0020-5327

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 18 Jun 2018 16:30
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 05:16

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Contributors

Author: Adriana de Almeida
Author: Owen T. Lewis
Author: Sandra B. Mikich

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