Abstract
A year-long study was carried out in a deciduous forest to examine the vertebrate manipulation on fruits of Syagrus romanzoffiana in southern Brazil. Eleven 50x50 cm-track traps (each one baited with ten ripe fruits) were placed monthly around 11 adult palm trees, totalling a sampling effort of 935 traps. The fruits removed (absent) or chewed (left in situ) by a given vertebrate species were counted for each trap. Three species of mammals and one bird were monitored. The coati (Nasua nasua) removed more fruits (N = 250; 50 %) than chewed (N = 130; 26 %), leaving intact 120 fruits (24 %). The dusky-legged guan (Penelope obscura) also removed more fruits (N = 107; 43 %) than chewed (N = 44; 18 %), leaving intact 96 (39 %). On the other hand, the opossum (Didelphis albiventris) removed 127 (13 %), but chewed 622 (63 %), leaving intact 236 (24 %). Similarly, the agouti (Dasyprocta azarae) removed 16 (12 %), and chewed 64 (49 %), leaving intact 51 fruits (39 %). Results are discussed in light of the roles of these vertebrate species in seed dispersal of S. romanzoffiana. Key words: Atlantic forest, Dasyprocta azarae, Didelphis albiventris, Nasua nasua, palm tree, Penelope obscura, seed dispersal, fruit removal.
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