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Tree recruitment after native frugivore extinction? A field experiment to test the impact of fruit flesh persistence in a tropical oceanic island

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 June 2022

Sébastien Albert Open the ORCID record for Sébastien Albert [Opens in a new window] ,
Olivier Flores Open the ORCID record for Olivier Flores [Opens in a new window] ,
Mikael Stahl ,
Florian Guilhabert  and
Dominique Strasberg
Sébastien Albert*
Affiliation:
Université de la Réunion, UMR PVBMT, Saint-Denis, La Réunion 97400, France
Olivier Flores
Affiliation:
Université de la Réunion, UMR PVBMT, Saint-Denis, La Réunion 97400, France
Mikael Stahl
Affiliation:
Université de la Réunion, UMR PVBMT, Saint-Denis, La Réunion 97400, France
Florian Guilhabert
Affiliation:
Université de la Réunion, UMR PVBMT, Saint-Denis, La Réunion 97400, France
Dominique Strasberg
Affiliation:
Université de la Réunion, UMR PVBMT, Saint-Denis, La Réunion 97400, France OSU-Réunion, Université de la Réunion, Saint-Denis, La Réunion 97400, France
*
Author for correspondence: Sébastien Albert, Email: candidalbert@gmail.com
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Abstract

The loss of large frugivores leads to seed dispersal loss and regeneration failure of numerous large-seeded trees near mother trees. Although Janzen–Connell effects are considered as the primary underlying cause, other factors remain understudied. Here, we used a field experiment to test the impact of flesh persistence on the recruitment of two large-seeded Sapotaceae species that lost their dispersers. In the rainforest of Mare Longue (Réunion), we sowed 3840 seeds in a four-factor design: seed treatment (seed cleaning; flesh persistence), canopy closure (understory; gap), year of sowing (01/2018; 11/2019) and species (Labourdonnaisia calophylloides, Mimusops balata). We also used camera traps to evaluate the impact of extant vertebrates. Seed treatment was by far the most influential factor: flesh persistence led to seedling recruitment divided by 3,2 on average, mainly due to failure of germination or seedling emergence. There were also significant variations in recruitment between species, years and canopy closure levels, notably due to the behaviour of the invasive fauna, especially giant snails that could unexpectedly restore recruitment by feeding on fruit flesh. Together, our results demonstrate strongly depleted recruitment due to flesh persistence and the importance of field experiments to understand the processes at work in complex ecosystems with novel plant–animal interactions.

Keywords

Biological invasiondormancyfrugivore extinctionisland biologyJanzen–Connell hypothesisSapotaceaeseed predation
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 38 , Issue 6 , November 2022 , pp. 370 - 376
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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