摘要
Seeds of many plant species are secondarily dispersed by dung beetles,but the outcome of this interaction is highly context-specific.Little is known about how certain anthropogenic disturbances affect this plant-animal interaction.The aims of this study were to assess the effect of dung type on secondary dispersal by dung beetles in a forest fragment,and to determine whether this interaction is affected by edge effects.Using pitfall traps,we captured dung beetles attracted to dung of 2 frugivorous mammals:woolly monkeys and howler monkeys.We found differences between both dung beetle assemblages,but these differences were not consistent in time.Using seeds surrounded by both dung types,we carried out a field experiment using seeds of 2 plant species.We found that the probability of secondary dispersal by dung beetles was higher for seeds placed in woolly monkey dung.Finally,we carried out a field experiment using plastic beads as seed mimics to assess edge effects.We found that secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles was negatively affected by edges.The disruption of plant-animal interactions along anthropogenic forest edges could have long-term negative effects on forest dynamics by affecting processes of regeneration.
