| Autor: |
Fuentes, Marcelino, Guitián, José, Guitián, Pablo, Bermejo, Teresa, Larrinaga, Asier, Amézquita, Pilar, Bongiomo, Salvatore |
| Zdroj: |
Plant Ecology; November 2001, Vol. 157 Issue: 1 p69-75, 7p |
| Abstrakt: |
We studied fleshy fruit consumption by birds on individualPrunus mahalebtrees in four plots in northwestern Spain.We found large variation among trees in the relative contribution of differentbird species to fruit removal. This variation, which occurred on a scale ofmeters, was correlated with the distance from the tree to nests ofPhoenicurus ochruros, a major fruit consumer, and with thekind of microhabitat surrounding each tree. In the four plots studied, treeslocated farther away from P. ochrurosnests receivedrelatively fewer visits by this species, and relatively more byTurdusmerulaand Sylvia atricapilla. These three mainconsumer species differed in the kinds of microhabitats (rocks, loose stones,bare or grassy soil, and woody vegetation) where they flew after visitingP. mahaleb, and thus they probably created differentpatterns of seedfall. This study adds to the evidence that environmentalfactorsextrinsic to plants, and acting at different spatial scales, greatly influencethe identity of the fruit consumers visiting individual trees. This influenceundermines the chances that fruit traits become evolutionary modified so as toattract those consumers providing the “best” seed dispersalservicesto the plants. |
| Databáze: |
Supplemental Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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