| Abstract | dc.description.abstract | Studies of plant-frugivore interactions are important for identifying the roles that biotic seed vectors play
in seed dispersal, and ultimately plant recruitment. In a subandean shrubland of central Chile, 50% of
total flora (14 species) has fleshy fruits dispersed by birds. We examined two aspects of frugivore-plant
interaction in this system: the structure of the seed-dispersal network, to predict the effect of hypothetical
frugivore species loss for seed dispersal and disperser effectiveness, by analyzing whether birds
contribute equally to the removal of seeds from different shrub species. We show that the seed-dispersal
network is highly and significantly nested, resulting in a core of interactions among generalist vertebrates
and plant species. A reduction in the populations of the three main avian generalists, Turdus
falcklandii, Mimus thenca and Elaenia albiceps, would disrupt seed dispersal and natural regeneration for
most woody species. Monte Carlo simulations showed that the network was robust to the random loss of
frugivorous species but highly sensitive to the loss of generalist species first. Mist-net sampling of birds
corroborated that most fruit removal was effected by E. albiceps and T. falcklandii, highlighting the
importance of frugivore species identity on seed dispersal for the maintenance of Mediterranean
shrublands. | es_CL |
