Frugivores and fruit removal ofAntiaris toxicaria(Moraceae) at Bia Biosphere Reserve, Ghana

Abstract

In tropical forests, most individual fruit-bearing trees depend on frugivores for seed dispersal (Howe & Smallwood 1982, Wilson 1992). Seed dispersal enhances germination potential, provides an opportunity for seeds to escape predation under the parent plants, and reduces seedling numbers under parent trees (Şekercioğluet al. 2004). The way frugivores handle seeds and process them may influence the seed fate of many plants (Janzen 1971). The quantity of seeds dispersed and the quality of dispersal provided by frugivores impact plant fitness (Herrera & Jordano 1981). Schupp (1993) defined the effectiveness of seed dispersal by frugivores as an empirical measure of quantity of seeds dispersed and quality of dispersal from the parent plant to a suitable microsite. Seed dispersal by frugivores increases the chances for seedling survival away from the vicinity of the parent plant because in tropical forests seed predation is concentrated under adult trees that prevent seedlings from establishing near parent trees (Howe & Miriti 2004).