title: Frugivory and seed dispersal of Solanum granuloso-leprosum Dunal (Solanaceae) by birds in deciduous seasonal forest.
abstract: The goal of this study was to identify which bird species consume Solanum granuloso-leprosum fruits and disperse its seeds. 60 hours of focal observations were carried out between April and May 2006 on the edge of a deciduous forest fragment in the Uruguay River region, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Ten species were observed in total removing 443 fruits. Saltator similis removed 61.8% of the fruits, followed by Tangara sayaca (17.1%), Pipraeidea bonariensis (11.7%), and T. preciosa (6.8%), while the remaining six species accounted for only 2.5% of the fruits removed. Most fruit removal occurred early in the day or mid-afternoon. The most common feeding behaviors were picking (60.7%), followed by stalling (23%) and hovering (16%). Birds flew more than 10 m from the fruit plant in 62% of the removal events. All bird species observed here may be considered potential dispersers of S. granuloso-leprosum, as they moved the seeds away from the mother plant where strong competition and predation are likely to occur. Results also suggest that S. granuloso-leprosum may be useful in ecological restoration programs.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missões - URI, Campus de Frederico Westphalen, Av. Sete de Setembro, 1621, Itapajé, CEP 98400-000, Frederico Westphalen, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: F A F
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Jacomassa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000502:physiology*; D001938:Brazil; D065928:Forests; D005638:Fruit; D060434:Herbivory / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D058614:Seed Dispersal / Q000502:physiology*; D012639:Seeds; D032322:Solanum / Q000502:physiology*