Abstract
Data collected on a free ranging group of Tana River mangabeys (Cercocebus galeritus) indicates that this endangered primate species, which has previously been regarded as a seed predator, plays an important role in seed dispersal and do contribute to the regeneration of a highly fragmented gallery forest. We observed fruit handling behavior and the post-dispersal fate of seeds ingested by the mangabeys. The two main fruit handling behaviors observed, fruit swallowing and processing fruits in cheek pouches, positively contributed to seed disper- sal. Seed predation was not common during this study, apart from a few particular plant species such as Acacia robusta and Alangium salviifolium with non-fleshy fruits. We found a correlation between seed predation and fruit availability, respectively seasonal differential specific dispersal efficiency. The role of the mangabeys in dispersing seeds and facilitating forest regeneration is enhanced by their movement across forest patches through non-forested matrix, which contributes to the deposition of seeds and regeneration in these habitat gaps.
Highlights
Forest fragmentation and declining forest cover are matters of global conservation concern
The seeds of Acacia robusta and Alangium salviifolium, which are contained in non-fleshy fruits, were obviously eaten themselves since; 1) we could frequently observe that only the seeds were ingested but not the fruit; 2) respectively non-fleshy fruits had probably nothing else to offer other than the seeds themselves; and 3) fecal analyses confirmed presence of fragmented seeds
The finding of this study indicates that, Tana River mangabeys increase the density of seedlings and species diversity in areas used as sleeping sites
Summary
Forest fragmentation and declining forest cover are matters of global conservation concern. The role of seed dispersers in influencing the distribution of plant species and facilitating the dynamics of forest regeneration is vital [1,2,3,4,5]. Reliable field data, especially for endangered and endemic seed dispersers, are rare. This is because the understanding of the relative importance of seed dispersers requires local case-to-case studies, as their competitive role in different biocoenosis can vary. Even for local groups or members of a given species, seasonal variations in food availability may cause great differences in their plant-specific seed dispersal efficiency [68]. Evaluations on the effectiveness of a particular disperser requires quantification of the fate of dispersed seeds [9]
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