Seed dispersal by Ceratogymna hornbills in the Dja Reserve, Cameroon

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dc.contributor.authorSmith, Thomas B.en_US
dc.contributor.authorParker, V. Thomasen_US
dc.contributor.authorHardesty, Britta Deniseen_US
dc.contributor.authorStauffer, Donald J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorHolbrook, Kimberly M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorLamperti, Aaron M.en_US
dc.contributor.authorFogiel, Mark K.en_US
dc.contributor.authorWhitney, Kenneth D.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2008-09-11T14:50:36Zen_US
dc.date.available2008-09-11T14:50:36Zen_US
dc.date.issued1998-05en_US
dc.description.abstractSeed dispersal is a process critical to the maintenance of tropical forests, yet little is known about the interactions of most dispersers with their communities. In the Dja Reserve, Cameroon, seed dispersal by the hornbills Ceratogymna atrata, C. cylindricus and C. fistulator (Aves: Bucerotidae) was evaluated with respect to the taxonomic breadth of plants dispersed, location of seed deposition and effects on seed germination. Collectively, the three hornbill species consumed fruits from 59 tree and liana species, and likely provided dispersal for 56 of them. Hornbill-dispersed tree species composed 22% of the known tree flora of the site. Hornbill visit lengths, visit frequencies, and seed passage times indicated that few seeds were deposited beneath parent trees; in five hornbill/tree species pairings studied, 69–100% of the seeds ingested were deposited away from the parent trees. Germination trials showed that hornbill gut passage is gentle on seeds. Of 24 tree species tested, 23 germinated after passage by hornbills; of 17 planted with controls taken directly from trees, only four species showed evidence of inhibition of germination rate, while seven experienced unchanged germination rates and six experienced enhanced germination rates. Results suggested that Ceratogymna hornbills rank among the most important seed dispersers found in Afrotropical forests, and they deserve increased conservation attention. Ceratogymna hornbills are likely to become increasingly important in forest regeneration as populations of larger mammalian seed dispersers (such as forest elephants and primates) diminish.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNYZS/The Wildlife Conservation Society, the National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship Program, the GAANN Program of San Francisco State University, and ECOFAC Camerounen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/21687en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherCambridge University Pressen_US
dc.subjectseed passageen_US
dc.subjectseed germinationen_US
dc.subjectseed dispersalen_US
dc.subjectseed depositionen_US
dc.subjectrain foresten_US
dc.subjectfrugivoryen_US
dc.subjectdieten_US
dc.subjectCeratogymnaen_US
dc.subjectbirdsen_US
dc.titleSeed dispersal by Ceratogymna hornbills in the Dja Reserve, Cameroonen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.type.dcmiTexten_US
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