The loss of at-risk morphologically unique avian frugivores diminishes seed dispersal function and natural restoration potential in the tropics

The loss of at-risk morphologically unique avian frugivores diminishes seed dispersal function and natural restoration potential in the tropics | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article The loss of at-risk morphologically unique avian frugivores diminishes seed dispersal function and natural restoration potential in the tropics Jun Ying Lim, Wei Qiang Lee, Charles Marsh, Rachakonda Sreekar, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6300911/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Seed-dispersing, frugivorous bird species play critical roles in maintaining the diversity of ecosystems but many are threatened by habitat loss and overexploitation, with unknown consequences for seed-dispersal functioning at the global scale. By combining data on the ecology, morphology, geographical distribution, and threats of frugivorous birds, we show that extinctions of at-risk species will drive declines in functional richness, and shifts in the functional composition, of avian frugivore assemblages across a large part of the world's tropics. These impacts will be strongest in the Neotropics and the tropical Indo-Pacific where species threatened by rapid habitat loss and degradation are concentrated, with the contribution of hunting to these patterns especially high in many parts of mainland and insular Southeast Asia. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of tropical areas with medium or high natural forest restoration potential coincide with areas where the functional diversity of avian frugivore assemblages are at greatest risk. Our results suggest that the defaunation of frugivorous birds will substantially diminish the ability of many tropical ecosystems to recover fully after disturbance, highlighting the need to enhance efforts to halt or reverse losses in this important functional group. Biological sciences/Ecology/Conservation biology Biological sciences/Ecology/Biodiversity Biological sciences/Ecology/Tropical ecology frugivory defaunation anthropogenic impacts morphological uniqueness functional diversity seed dispersal Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files supp.pdf Supplementary Information Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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