Abstract
Our objective in this study was to examine the frugivory performed by the black-eared opossum, Didelphis aurita Wied-Neuwied, 1826, in an area of the coastal Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil, including differences between sexes, seasonal variation, and relationships to other sympatric marsupials. We collected 63 fecal samples from a trap grid over a six-month period and analyzed seed presence, seed number and richness, and diversity of fruit species in feces. Diversity of fruit items was estimated by the Shannon index. Results showed a high variability in fruit consumption along the seasons, but no sexual difference in consumption. Sympatric marsupial species, including D. aurita, showed substantial differences in frugivory which may be related to body size, space use and differences in the foraging behavior of such species.
Highlights
Several vertebrate species have been identified as frugivores, being specialists or generalists
One of the main implications of this is the role of frugivory in the seed dispersal
Didelphis aurita was trapped with a grid of 127 traps set in the study area, including 73 traps set on the ground and 54 at 2m height in the understory
Summary
Several vertebrate species have been identified as frugivores, being specialists or generalists. One of the main implications of this is the role of frugivory in the seed dispersal. The degree of specialization towards frugivory is variable among species. More generic attributes are important, such as crop size, time and intensity of fruit production, plant habit, and dispersal syndrome (Howe and Smallwood, 1982; Van der Pijl, 1982; Fleming et al, 1993; Fleming and Sosa, 1994; Da Silva and Tabarelli, 2000). Guans, several primates, and some carnivores, such as kinkajous, are good examples of specialized fruit eaters among vertebrates (Galetti and Pedroni, 1994; Peres, 1994; Galetti et al, 1997; JulienLaferrière, 1999; Da Silva and Tabarelli, 2000)
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