| Frugivory is a common interaction mechanism between plants and animals in the temperate rainforest of southern South America. In this study, we examined primary dispersal and predation stages of Persea lingue (Ruiz et Pav.) Nees (Lauraceae), an endemic large-seeded tree of these forests. The main goal was to determine the identity of vertebrate seed dispersers of P. lingue, to distinguish legitimate seed dispersers, pulp consumers and seed predators, and their influence on seed germination. In order to know which birds and small mammals were feeding P. lingue seeds, we observed 20 P. lingue canopies, and live traps baited with P. lingue seeds were installed in fragment forests in south-central Chile. To determine whether birds could be legitimate... |
