Courtship behaviour of manakins and seed bank composition in a French Guianan rain forest

Abstract

The size and species composition of both the seed rain and the seed bank at a forest site are important factors determining future regeneration (De Foresta & Prevost 1984, Garwood 1989, Putz & Apannah 1987). Seed dispersers can influence the regeneration potential of (tropical) forests by means of the seed rain they generate (Garwood 1989, Janzen 1983). In this study, we present an example of how the courtship behaviour of an avian frugivore of the . manakin family (Passeriformes, Pipridae) can induce both seed clumping and modification of the species composition in the seed bank at specific forest sites. Manakins are small frugivorous birds and most species have a lek mating system where males aggregate into groups to display with each male defending its own small territory. In the breeding season, typically lasting about 6 mo a year, males spend up to 90% of their time on and around their lek where they sing from perches and perform display dances to attract females to mate with (Snow 1962a, Thery 1992). Adult males only leave their perches for short feeding bouts lasting 2-5 min on nearby fruiting trees (Thery 1990a). Because ingested seeds are defecated or regurgitated after 12-18 min (Worthington 1989, Thery 1990a), we hypothesize that almost all seeds consumed by lekking male manakins are deposited on their leks. In the reproductive season, fruits