Potential losses of animal-dispersed trees due to selective logging in Amazonian forest concessions

Abstract

Fruits and seeds are key food resources for most Amazonian mammals and birds. Selective logging is an increasingly dominant land use in the region that can deplete these resources over large areas. However, this potential impact remains poorly studied. Here we assess potential losses of animal-dispersed (endozoochorous and synzoochorous) trees resulting from reduced-impact logging in Amazonian forest concessions. We use data from forestry surveys conducted by concession companies that include the location, identity and fate (logged or not) of large (≥ 40 cm diameter at breast height) individual trees within concessions to quantify absolute and relative losses of animal-dispersed trees in the landscape. We found that most individual trees (66%) within concessions belong to animal-dispersed genera. However, despite their predominance these trees were significantly less targeted for logging than abiotically-dispersed trees so that their losses were much lower than expected based on overall harvest intensities. However, at least ten percent of all large animal-dispersed trees were lost from the entire landscape, with site-level (50-ha plots) losses sometimes exceeding one third of all animal-dispersed trees. Results suggest that the relatively low level of logging for animal-dispersed trees can still deplete frugivore resources in selectively logged forests.

Keywords

• Amazonia
• Fruit
• Frugivores
• Reduced-impact logging
• Selective logging