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Fruit-frugivore interactions in a Malagasy littoral forest - Universiteit ...

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n species with ripe fruits<br />

35<br />

30<br />

25<br />

20<br />

15<br />

10<br />

5<br />

0<br />

O<br />

Tt<br />

Ec<br />

Bm<br />

To<br />

X<br />

Ps<br />

Lm<br />

Vf<br />

D<br />

Pc<br />

Sm<br />

Ad<br />

Tf<br />

Dp<br />

Tree dispersal strategies<br />

Fig. 2. Number of tree species bear<strong>in</strong>g ripe fruits <strong>in</strong> 2000. The height of the fruit<strong>in</strong>g peak of the tree<br />

species <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> tree watches is <strong>in</strong>dicated as well. X <strong>in</strong>cludes the follow<strong>in</strong>g seven species: So,<br />

La, S1, Cb, Mp, Ve, Se accord<strong>in</strong>g the abbreviations <strong>in</strong> Appendix I.<br />

DISCUSSION<br />

In the present study we <strong>in</strong>vestigated three hypotheses for evidence of co-evolution<br />

between life history traits of plants, their diaspores and animal consumers. These were<br />

tight, species-specific <strong><strong>in</strong>teractions</strong>, different <strong>in</strong>vestment patterns of plants <strong>in</strong> their fruits <strong>in</strong><br />

relation to the specialization of dispersers and dispersal syndromes as adaptations to<br />

taxonomically diverse groups of dispersers with different sensory capabilities (colour<br />

vision <strong>in</strong> birds, olfaction <strong>in</strong> mammals).<br />

There was no evidence for tight co-evolution between specific tree and consumer<br />

species. This is consistent with f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>gs of most studies (Howe and Smallwood 1982;<br />

Howe 1984; Gautier-Hion et al. 1985; Herrera 1986; Fisher and Chapman 1993;<br />

Chapman 1995; Erikkson and Ehrlen 1998; Lambert and Garber 1998). Most plant<br />

species do not depend on one s<strong>in</strong>gle disperser species. The only possible <strong>in</strong>dication of<br />

co-evolution <strong>in</strong> our study are the five tree species for which Eulemur fulvus collaris is the<br />

only seed disperser. However, this lemur species is a very opportunistic feeder. A<br />

comparative study between the dry deciduous <strong>forest</strong> of Kir<strong>in</strong>dy and the <strong>littoral</strong> <strong>forest</strong> of<br />

Sa<strong>in</strong>te Luce (Bollen et al. <strong>in</strong> press, Chapter 4) confirms the absence of co-evolutionary<br />

plant-animal <strong><strong>in</strong>teractions</strong> here and shows that this lemur species has a rather high dietary<br />

flexibility. However, even though the dietary breath of E. f. collaris is quite large, this<br />

species is a sequential specialist and as such selects two or three dom<strong>in</strong>ant fruit species<br />

each month (Donati 2002). Canarium boiv<strong>in</strong>ii and Eugenia sp. make up important<br />

S2<br />

Dec 99 Feb 00 Apr 00 Jun 00 Aug 00 Oct 00 Dec 00<br />

Jan 00 Mar 00 May 00 Jul 00 Sep 00 Nov 00<br />

Cm<br />

P<br />

E<br />

Uf<br />

Ul<br />

49

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