Article Abstract:
It seems that at least 31.6% of the zoochoric trees recorded in northeast Brazil rely on wide-gape birds for seed dispersal, according to research estimating loss of tree species in the Atlantic forest of northeast Brazil. Around 47.9% of the zoochoric tree species in the area need dispersal by bird species that make up only a subset of the regional fruit-eating avifauna. It seems wise to designate large fruit-eating birds as an 'umbrella species' to show the minimum area needed to maintain the vital ecological processes driving forest maintenance and regeneration.
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Article Abstract:
Tropical forests provide habitats for thousands of species but deforestation is creating a fragmented landscape of cleared areas and forest plots, changing the movement of pollen and seed dispersal. A study of the Amazonian tree species Corythophora alta shows that restricted seed dispersal has led to a sharp genetic differentiation of adjoining populations, indicating that small forest plots exchange seeds infrequently, limiting the size of genetic neighbourhoods.
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Article Abstract:
It has been found that capsaicin, the chemical that causes the peppery heat of the chilli, selectively discourages vertebrate predators without deterring more effective seed dispersers. This is the first evidence that directed deterrence in a ripe fruit may influence plant-vertebrate interactions.
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