Katherine Rompf

Nov 5, 2024 | onlinelibrary.wiley.com | H. Anderson |Jordan Karubian |Katherine Rompf

1 INTRODUCTION Seed dispersal can benefit plants by reducing intraspecific competition and increasing escape from predators and pathogens that concentrate near parental plants (Connell, 1971; Janzen, 1970). In many systems, frugivorous birds act as ecosystem engineers by influencing plant recruitment at multiple levels. For example, birds may increase plant establishment by moving seeds away from parent plants into areas more favorable to their germination and recruitment (Wenny & Levey, 1998).