Although birds and monkeys frequently eat fruits of the same plant species, these animals may differ in the quality of seed dispersal they promote. The seed deposition patterns produced by birds and monkeys, for example, are likely different; while birds often regurgitate isolated seeds, monkeys defecate seeds in groups. In this paper the survivorship of seeds and seedlings of two Myrtaceae species occurring in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Gomidesia anacardiifolia and Marlierea obscura), experimentally arranged in the field in order to simulate the deposition patterns produced by birds and monkeys, was investigated. After six months of monitoring, the survivorship of seeds and seedlings considered separately between the isolated and grouped treatments differed, but the amount and direction of differences depended on plant species. When both phases (seeds and seedlings) are analyzed together, results indicate that for both plant species tested the deposition of isolated seeds provided a better balance between number of dispersed seeds and number of established seedlings, suggesting that, in comparison with monkeys, birds may optimize the reproductive effort of G. anacardiifolia and M. obscura.
Atlantic Forest; Myrtaceae; seed dispersal; seed predation
