Arthropod communities and succession in baobab, Adansonia rubrostipa, fruits in a dry deciduous forest in Kirindy Forest Reserve, Madagascar

Abstract

From an insect's perspective, fruits of many plant species are an ephemeral resource such as carrion (Payne 1965; Tabor et al. 2004), dung (Koskela 1972; Koskela & Hanski 1977) or rotting wood (Fager 1968): all these systems are relatively small and distinct, consist of organic matter and undergo a clear decomposition process, with several stages of decay (Schoenly & Reid 1987), characterized by specific fauna. Frugivorous insects, particularly Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera and Lepidoptera, frequently invade fruits/seeds during development on maternal plants (e.g. Janzen 1969, 1971; Lachaise 1977; Lachaise et al. 1982; Fukumoto & Kajimura 2001); fruit invasion and post-dispersal seed predation continues after fruit falls (Winston 1956; Janzen 1969; Lachaise et al. 1982; van Klinken & Walter 1996).