Fruit color preference by birds and applications to ecological restoration

A noteworthy case of rewilding Chinese yew from a garden population in eastern China

Chinese yew (Taxus wallichiana var. mairei) is ranked as a rare and endangered plant of first-grade protection of China. It has been widely cultivated in 17 provinces of China over the past few decades. However, little is known about the dispersion, rewilding, and ecological influence of Chinese yew’s offspring during cultivation. Here, we report a noteworthy case of this species, via ex situ conservation, which has successfully spread into different secondary forests, thus forming a stable regenerating population in eastern China. The establishment of this yew population, which has > 900 individuals and 7 ha area, can be ascribed to two key ecological factors: (1) secondary forest near the parent yews that provided suitable microhabitats in which progeny yews could germinate and grow, and (2) seed-foraging and transportation by native birds. Thus, this case may offer a pathway for conserving endangered Chinese Taxus species, which can attract frugivorous birds to disperse their seeds. In addition, it is necessary to monitor the growth performance of progeny population in the field.

Improvement of vegetation structure enhances bird functional traits and habitat resilience in an area of ongoing restoration in the Atlantic Forest

Ecological restoration is a traditional option for recovering biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Birds perform pollination, seed dispersal, and pest-control services, which catalyze increases in habitat structure. Habitat complexity changes bird composition, but there is little evidence of its effects on bird functional diversity in Neotropical restorations. We tested whether bird functional diversity and composition respond to increased habitat complexity. Point-counts were performed (January-December 2015) in an area undergoing restoration (536 ha) in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil, in restorations with less and more structured vegetation and pastures and forest-fragments. The functional bird traits considered were diet, habitat, biomass, environmental sensitivity, and foraging strata. Increased habitat complexity was evaluated using plant characteristics (exotic grass, canopy, herbaceous cover, and diameter at breast height). A total of 172 bird species (5% endemic; 12% migratory) were recorded. Increased vegetation structure in both restored sites and forest-fragments drove a reorganization and addition of functional bird traits, which positively influenced functional richness, dispersion, and evenness. Shifts in plant-characteristics rearranged bird functional traits (diet-forest-dependence and diet-strata-foraging). The rapid development of vegetation structure is a key factor for restoration because it provides additional habitat for semi-dependent forest birds and enhances resilience and sustainability in new man-made forests.

Germinação de sementes e vigor de plântulas de Myrciaria glazioviana submetidas a sombreamentos

Resumo Estudos sobre as características agronômicas da planta cabeludinha (Myrciaria glazioviana), como exigências ecofisiológicas, propagação e cultivo, são inexistentes. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de crescentes níveis de sombreamento sobre a germinação e o vigor de plântulas de cabeludinha. As sementes e plântulas foram submetidas aos níveis de 0%, 16%, 54%, 72% e 92% de sombreamento, obtidos com coberturas de sombrite. Aos 159 dias de experimentação, foram avaliadas características relacionadas à germinação e ao vigor das plântulas. As variáveis relacionadas à germinação apresentaram respostas lineares crescentes ao aumento do sombreamento. As relacionadas ao vigor das plântulas foram melhor representadas por modelos quadráticos. O maior nível de sombreamento testado ainda não resulta no potencial máximo de germinação, mas reduz consideravelmente o vigor das plântulas. Conclui-se que o aumento da germinação com o sombreamento pode estar mais relacionado à capacidade do substrato em manter as sementes úmidas do que ao efeito da sombra propriamente dito. Com relação ao vigor, o desenvolvimento das plântulas é favorecido por sombreamentos entre 47% e 64%, sendo o ideal próximo a 52%. Sombreamentos superiores prejudicam consideravelmente o crescimento das plântulas.

Evolutionary cascades induced by large frugivores

Large, fruit-eating vertebrates have been lost from many of the world's ecosystems. The ecological consequences of this defaunation can be severe, but the evolutionary consequences are nearly unknown because it remains unclear whether frugivores exert strong selection on fruit traits. I assessed the macroevolution of fruit traits in response to variation in the diversity and size of seed-dispersing vertebrates. Across the Indo-Malay Archipelago, many of the same plant lineages have been exposed to very different assemblages of seed-dispersing vertebrates. Phylogenetic analysis of >400 plant species in 41 genera and five families revealed that average fruit size tracks the taxonomic and functional diversity of frugivorous birds and mammals. Fruit size was 40.2-46.5% smaller in the Moluccas and Sulawesi (respectively), with relatively depauperate assemblages of mostly small-bodied animals, than in the Sunda Region (Borneo, Sumatra, and Peninsular Malaysia), with a highly diverse suite of large and small animals. Fruit color, however, was unrelated to vertebrate diversity or to the representation of birds versus mammals in the frugivore assemblage. Overhunting of large animals, nearly ubiquitous in tropical forests, could strongly alter selection pressures on plants, resulting in widespread, although trait-specific, morphologic changes.