New paper: Seed dispersal limitation in forest edge habitats

We have a new paper in the Frontiers of Ecology and Evolution investigating how differences between frugivore communities at the forest edge and interior habitats of a diverse tropical rainforest relate to patterns of animal-mediated seed dispersal and early seedling recruitment.

Main findings:

• Lemur communities across the forest edge-interior gradient in this system showed the highest species richness and variability in body sizes at intermediate distances; the community of birds showed the opposite pattern for species richness.
• Three large-bodied frugivores, known to be effective dispersers of large seeds, tended to avoid the forest edge.
• The forest edges received a lower rate of animal-mediated seed dispersal compared to the interior habitats. 
• The seeds that were actively dispersed by animals in forest edge habitats were smaller in size than seeds dispersed in the forest interior. This pattern was found despite a similarity in seed size of seasonally fruiting adult trees and shrubs between the two habitats.
• Despite these differences in dispersal patterns, we did not observe any differences in the rates of seedling recruitment or seed-size distribution of successful recruit species. 

Forest edge in Ihofa Forest, Madagascar. Photo by O. Razafindratsima