Variación individual en atributos de Clusia salvinii Donn. Smith asociados a la atracción de frugívoros en la dispersión de frutos y semillas

Abstract

Seed dispersal is one of the processes of plant-frugivore interactions that involves characteristics specific to the plant effecting the attraction of frugivores. In this paper, the individual variance in the attributes of <em>Clusia salvinii </em>in relation to the attraction of frugivores and its effect on the dispersal of fruits and seeds in the Reserva de Nanchititla, State of Mexico was studied. The morphometric characteristics of 25 trees of the <em>C. salvinii </em>species were evaluated (height, coverage, number of fruit, number of seeds per fruit, and fruit below the canopy). The removal of fruits and seeds (dispersal) was also estimated, as well as some of its attributes as estimators of the quantity of biomass assigned to the reproduction or as compensation for the dispersers (average weight per tree, average weight of the arils per tree). According to the results, tree height and harvest size or fruit production have an effect on the removal of seeds. On the other hand, the mass of the fruit, aril and seed had no relation to the removal of the fruit. Tree height and the quantity of fruit play an important role in the attraction of dispersers.