Barrera Zambrano Victoria Andrea, Zambrano Moncada Jenny, Stevenson Pablo R
Centro de Investigaciones Ecológicas La Macarena, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 Numero 18a-10, Bogotá, Colombia.
Rev Biol Trop. 2008 Sep;56(3):1531-42. doi: 10.15517/rbt.v56i3.5727.
Hunting may have drastic effects on some populations of frugivores and seed dispersal agents, which in turn may affect patterns of forest regeneration and plant diversity. However, when a species disappears, it is possible that the population of other species increases due to competition release, compensating or not, their ecological roles. The main aim of this study was to measure density compensation in primate communities, their possible effects on seedling and sapling diversity, and compensation of seed removal rates in two canopy trees (Apeiba aspera and Hymenaea oblongifolia). The study site was Amacayacu National Park (Colombian Amazon), where we carried out a census of mammal species using line transect methods in two forests with different levels of hunting pressure. Vegetation plots were used to quantify plant diversity for seedlings and saplings (4 m2 and 25 m2 respectively), and fruit traps were set up to estimate seed removal of A. aspera and H. oblongifolia. Large primates were less frequently encountered near human settlements, while small primates exhibited the opposite pattern, suggesting a density compensation effect. The diversity of regenerating plants was higher in the forest where large primates occur. Seed removal was higher in forests with large primates for A. aspera, but not for H. oblongifolia. Overall, the results support the hypothesis of density compensation on the primate community; however, there is no strong evidence of ecological compensation in terms of seed dispersal and regeneration in the species studied. Finally, the presence of large seed dispersers (e.g. Lagothrix lagothricha) was associated with higher plant diversity.
狩猎可能会对一些食果动物和种子传播者的种群产生巨大影响，进而可能影响森林更新模式和植物多样性。然而，当一个物种消失时，由于竞争释放，其他物种的种群有可能增加，无论是否能补偿其生态作用。本研究的主要目的是衡量灵长类动物群落中的密度补偿、其对幼苗和幼树多样性的可能影响，以及两种树冠层树木（糙叶阿沛豆和长叶孪叶豆）种子去除率的补偿情况。研究地点是阿马卡亚库国家公园（哥伦比亚亚马逊地区），我们在两个狩猎压力不同的森林中使用样线法对哺乳动物物种进行了普查。利用植被样地对幼苗和幼树的植物多样性进行量化（分别为4平方米和25平方米），并设置果实陷阱来估计糙叶阿沛豆和长叶孪叶豆的种子去除情况。在人类定居点附近较少遇到大型灵长类动物，而小型灵长类动物则呈现相反的模式，这表明存在密度补偿效应。在有大型灵长类动物的森林中，再生植物的多样性更高。对于糙叶阿沛豆，有大型灵长类动物的森林中种子去除率更高，但长叶孪叶豆并非如此。总体而言，结果支持了灵长类动物群落存在密度补偿的假设；然而，在所研究的物种中，在种子传播和更新方面没有强有力的生态补偿证据。最后，大型种子传播者（如绒毛蛛猴）的存在与更高的植物多样性相关。
