Seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) is a conceptual framework that aims at quantifying the contribution of seed dispersal vectors to plant fitness. While it is well recognized that diplochorous dispersal systems, characterized ...

Primates play a fundamental role as seed dispersers, particularly in tropical rainforests. Because defaunation and fragmentation are leading several primate species to local extinction, it is fundamental to understand the ...

Large frugivores play an important role as seed dispersers and their extinction may affect plant regeneration. The consequences of such extinctions depend on the likelihood of other species being functionally redundant and ...

Seed dispersal by birds is a pivotal ecosystem function worldwide; yet, the rapid and ongoing global biodiversity loss poses a major threat to this essential ecosystem service. Seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) is a key ...

Tapirs are one of the last extant megafauna species that survived the Pleistocene extinctions. Given their size and digestive system characteristics, tapirs might be the last potential seed disperser of plant species that ...

The degree of interdependence among interacting species has major implications for our understanding of the coevolutionary process and biodiversity maintenance. However, the mutualism strength among fruiting plants and ...

Mimetic seeds simulate the appearance of fleshy fruits and arilled seeds without producing nutritive tissues as a reward for seed dispersers. In this strategy of seed dispersal, seeds may remain attached to the mother plant ...

Tropical forests have been subject to intense hunting of medium and large frugivores that are important in dispersing large-seeded species. It has been hypothesized that in areas with extinction or low abundance of medium ...