Behavioural complementarity among frugivorous birds and lizards can promote plant diversity in island ecosystems

The behavioural complementarity of fruit-eating animals is thought to exert a key role in plant community assembly. However, a mechanistic understanding of the causal links between the two processes is still lacking. This study assesses whether complementarity between dispersers in feeding and microhabitat-use behaviour enhances community-scale dispersal services, resulting in a more diverse community of seedlings. We used a Bayesian approach to connect a comprehensive database of seed dispersal effectiveness at a community scale with a transition probability model that accounts for behavioural complementarity. Our model system was the thermosclerophyllous shrubland of the Canary Islands. There, fleshy-fruited plants rely on two types of frugivores: lizards and birds. Lizards consumed all plant species and preferentially used open areas, whereas birds foraged for small single-seeded fruits and dispersed their seeds beneath plants. Through feeding on different sets of plants, they generated a rich seed-rain community. By diversifying the microhabitat of deposition, more species could find suitable recruitment sites. Distinct foraging and microhabitat-use choices led to complementary dispersal services. Lizards ensured that all plant species were present in the seedling community, while birds promoted a more even distribution of them. As a result, diversity in the community of seedlings was enhanced. Overall, our work underscores that behavioural complementarity promotes diversity in the early-regenerating plant communities. These enhanced dispersal services rely on the presence of all functional groups. Thus, in communities where frugivores display unique behaviours, preserving a diverse community of dispersers should be a conservation target. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Morán-López, Teresa, González-Castro, Aarón, Morales, Juan Manuel, Nogales, Manuel
Other Authors:	Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)
Format:	artículo biblioteca
Published:	John Wiley & Sons 2020-01
Subjects:	Behavioural complementarity, Diversity maintenance, Fruit choice, Microhabitat use, Plant–frugivore assemblages, Seed dispersal effectiveness,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10261/202771 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003339 http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000780
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