Micronesian Starling – Aplonis Opaca)As
Journal of Tropical Ecology Såli (Micronesian starling – Aplonis opaca)as www.cambridge.org/tro a key seed dispersal agent across a tropical archipelago 1, 2 3 1 Research Article Henry S. Pollock * , Evan C. Fricke , Evan M. Rehm , Martin Kastner , Nicole Suckow1, Julie A. Savidge3 and Haldre S. Rogers2 Cite this article: Pollock HS, Fricke EC, Rehm EM, Kastner M, Suckow N, Savidge JA, 1School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA, 80523; and Rogers HS (2020) Såli (Micronesian starling 2 – Aplonis opaca) as a key seed dispersal agent Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA, 50010 and 3 across a tropical archipelago. Journal of Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA 80523 Tropical Ecology 36,56–64. https://doi.org/ 10.1017/S0266467419000361 Abstract Received: 11 August 2019 Seed dispersal is an important ecological process that structures plant communities and influences Revised: 14 November 2019 ecosystem functioning. Loss of animal dispersers therefore poses a serious threat to forest Accepted: 21 November 2019 ecosystems, particularly in the tropics where zoochory predominates. A prominent example is First published online: 17 January 2020 the near-total extinction of seed dispersers on the tropical island of Guam following the accidental Keywords: introduction of the invasive brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis), negatively impacting seedling Diet; ecosystem services; frugivory; Mariana recruitment and forest regeneration. We investigated frugivory by a remnant population of Såli Islands; Micronesian starling; seed dispersal (Micronesian starling – Aplonis opaca) on Guam and two other island populations (Rota, Saipan) Author for correspondence: to evaluate their ecological role as a seed disperser in the Mariana archipelago.
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