Pigeons are key to the dispersal of the seeds of native trees in Australian subtropical forest fragments

Using published dietary information together with field surveys of frugivore abundance within intact forest, forest fragments and patches of regrowth, a team of Australian scientists have assessed the potential of frugivorous bird and bat species to disperse the seeds of plant species in fragmented rain forest in subtropical Australia. Five frugivore species with reduced abundance [toleraence] in fragmented rain forest, were the only known dispersers of 27 of the 221 native plant species in the data set (12% of species), three if these frugivores are fruit-dives: the Wompoo Fruit-dove Ptilinopus magnificus, Superb Fruit-dove Ptilinopus superbus and Rose-crowned Fruit-dove Ptilinopus regina. These frugivore species were also major dispersers of plant species producing fruits wider than 10 mm and species from the families Rubiaceae, Lauraceae, Myrtaceae, Meliaceae, Lamiaceae and Vitaceae. Except for Rubiaceae. Rain forest fragmentation has reduced the abundance of a suite of frugivorous rainforest fauna, particularly fruit-doves, which in turn is likely to reduce the dispersal of a certain plant taxa and may alter patterns of plant regeneration in subtropical Australian rain forest fragments.

Moran, C. (c.moran “at” griffith.edu.au), Catterall, C.P. and Kanowski, J. (2009) Reduced dispersal of native plant species as a consequence of the reduced abundance of frugivore species in fragmented rainforest. Biological Conservation 142: 541–552.