Frugivory and the Fate of Dispersed and Non-Dispersed Seeds of Six African Tree Species

The relationship between seedling recruitment (under and away from parent trees) and the behaviour of seed dispersers and predators, was explored in a three-year study in Kibale National Park, Uganda. On the basis of 1261 hours of observation, the foraging activity of the diurnal frugivores which fed on fruit from six tree species was quantified. The fate of dispersed and non-dispersed seeds and seedlings was examined experimentally. The findings uggest that a trade-off exists between factors that promote seedling growth in areas with high seedling density and factors that promote dispersal by frugivores. For example, dispersal of Mimusops bagshawei increases both seed and seedling survival; seeds placed away from adult conspecifics had a 8% lower probability of disappearing than seeds placed under adults and seedlings away from adults had a 30% greater probability of surviving than seedlings grown under adults. In contrast, for Uvariopsis congensis, dispersed seeds had a 56% greater probability of disappearing than seeds directly under a parent tree, while the survival of dispersed and non-dispersed seedlings was similar. Non-dispersed seed and seedling disappearance were correlated with the percentage of the fruit crop removed from focal trees, suggesting that the ability to survive under an adult maybe related to other aspects of the tree's life history.