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Research Article

Seed dispersal increases local species richness and reduces spatial turnover of tropical tree seedlings

View ORCID ProfileElizabeth M. Wandrag, Amy E. Dunham, Richard P. Duncan, and Haldre S. Rogers
  1. aInstitute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2617, Australia;
  2. bDepartment of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005;
  3. cDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011

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PNAS October 3, 2017 114 (40) 10689-10694; first published August 28, 2017; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1709584114
Elizabeth M. Wandrag
aInstitute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2617, Australia;
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  • ORCID record for Elizabeth M. Wandrag
  • For correspondence: elizabethwandrag@gmail.com
Amy E. Dunham
bDepartment of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005;
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Richard P. Duncan
aInstitute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT 2617, Australia;
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Haldre S. Rogers
cDepartment of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011
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  1. Edited by Alan Hastings, University of California, Davis, CA, and approved August 4, 2017 (received for review June 6, 2017)

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Significance

Dispersal is considered a key process underlying the high spatial diversity of tropical forests, with the seeds of most tropical tree species dispersed by vertebrates, particularly birds. Although it has proven very difficult to quantify the contribution of dispersal to tree species diversity, it is increasingly important to do so in the face of global declines in vertebrate disperser populations. We show that the complete loss of native seed dispersers on the island of Guam is having a major impact on tree seedling regeneration in canopy gaps, leading to species-poor and spatially aggregated seedling communities. These pronounced changes in patterns of seedling regeneration highlight the importance of dispersal in maintaining patterns of diversity in tropical forests.

Abstract

Dispersal is thought to be a key process underlying the high spatial diversity of tropical forests. Just how important dispersal is in structuring plant communities is nevertheless an open question because it is very difficult to isolate dispersal from other processes, and thereby measure its effect. Using a unique situation, the loss of vertebrate seed dispersers on the island of Guam and their presence on the neighboring islands of Saipan and Rota, we quantify the contribution of vertebrate seed dispersal to spatial patterns of diversity of tree seedlings in treefall gaps. The presence of vertebrate seed dispersers approximately doubled seedling species richness within canopy gaps and halved species turnover among gaps. Our study demonstrates that dispersal plays a key role in maintaining local and regional patterns of diversity, and highlights the potential for ongoing declines in vertebrate seed dispersers to profoundly alter tropical forest composition.

  • biodiversity loss
  • biotic homogenization
  • frugivory
  • mutualisms
  • tropical conservation

Footnotes

  • ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: elizabethwandrag{at}gmail.com.
  • Author contributions: E.M.W., A.E.D., and H.S.R. designed research; E.M.W. and H.S.R. performed research; E.M.W. and R.P.D. analyzed data; and E.M.W., A.E.D., R.P.D., and H.S.R. wrote the paper.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article is a PNAS Direct Submission.

  • See Commentary on page 10526.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1709584114/-/DCSupplemental.

Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.

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Dispersal drives tree seedling distributions
Elizabeth M. Wandrag, Amy E. Dunham, Richard P. Duncan, Haldre S. Rogers
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Oct 2017, 114 (40) 10689-10694; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1709584114

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Dispersal drives tree seedling distributions
Elizabeth M. Wandrag, Amy E. Dunham, Richard P. Duncan, Haldre S. Rogers
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Oct 2017, 114 (40) 10689-10694; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1709584114
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  • Biological Sciences
  • Ecology

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  • Animal seed dispersal and tropical diversity
    - Sep 25, 2017
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 114 (40)
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