Abstract
Forest stands in seasonal environments can differ spatially and seasonally in the diversity of fleshy fruits available as resources for fauna. The aim of this study was to quantify spatial and seasonal variation in the richness and abundance of the dominant fleshy-fruited tree species in gallery forests of the Cerrado domain. Tree species composition and abundance were compiled from the literature for 10 gallery forest stands. Data were interpolated and extrapolated by the sample coverage method, using Hill numbers to determine the typical species as well as the most abundant species in each fruiting season. Stands differed in the occurrence of fleshy-fruited tree species and in the number of fleshy-fruited tree individuals. Probabilities for the occurrence of fleshy fruit were similar between in the wet and dry. However, across all stands, species that fruit primarily in the dry season were less common than those that fruit in the wet season. The sharing of fleshy-fruited tree species was low and the most abundant species differed among the studied stands. Fleshy fruits were available all year round and periods of high fruit availability are highly synchronized while periods of low fruit availability were much less so.
Highlights
IntroductionThe diversity of fleshy-fruited trees (i.e., plants with fleshy fruits or other fleshy parts such as arils that attract animals) in plant communities can be highly heterogeneous, even within the same region (López-Martínez et al 2013)
The diversity of fleshy-fruited trees in plant communities can be highly heterogeneous, even within the same region (López-Martínez et al 2013)
The spatial variation in the diversity of available food resources among the gallery forests found in this study may be even more important for the fauna during the dry season, when few fleshy-fruited tree species are fruiting in some sites
Summary
The diversity of fleshy-fruited trees (i.e., plants with fleshy fruits or other fleshy parts such as arils that attract animals) in plant communities can be highly heterogeneous, even within the same region (López-Martínez et al 2013). Seed dispersal by frugivores may result in variation in the structure and dynamics among plant communities (Wright et al 2005; Morales et al 2013). Data on the richness and abundance of fleshy-fruited plant species within tree communities can contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between vegetation structure and dispersal processes (Wang & Smith 2002). Forests in fragmented landscapes that differ in abundance of fleshy- fruited tree species may be connected by foraging frugivorous birds in search of resources, affecting seed dispersal across forest fragments (Emer et al 2018). Frugivores may forage over large areas during times of scarcity, thereby transporting plant diaspores over long distances (Blendinger et al 2012; Emer et al 2018)
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