Low-intensity logging and hunting have long-term effects on seed dispersal but not fecundity in Afrotropical forests.
Abstract
Hunting and logging, ubiquitous human disturbances in tropical forests, have the potential
to alter the ecological processes that govern population recruitment and community
composition. Hunting-induced declines in populations of seed-dispersing animals are
expected to reduce dispersal of the tree species that rely on them, resulting in potentially
greater distance- and density-dependent mortality. At the same time, selective logging
may alter competitive interactions among tree species, releasing remaining trees from
light, nutrient or space limitations. Taken together, these disturbances may alter
the community composition of tropical forests, with implications for carbon storage,
biodiversity conservation and ecosystem function. To evaluate the effects of hunting
and logging on tree fecundity and seed dispersal, we use 3 years of seed rain data
from a large-scale observational experiment in previously logged, hunted and protected
forests in northern Republic of Congo (Brazzaville). We find that low-intensity logging
had a meaningful long-term effect on species-specific seed dispersal distances, though
the direction and magnitude varied and was not congruent within dispersal vector.
Tree fecundity increased with tree diameter, but did not differ appreciably across
disturbance regimes. The species-specific dispersal responses to logging in this study
point towards the long-lasting toll of disturbance on ecological function and highlight
the necessity of conserving intact forest.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18063Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1093/aobpla/ply074Publication Info
Nunez, Chase; Clark, James S; Clark, Connie J; & Poulsen, John R (2019). Low-intensity logging and hunting have long-term effects on seed dispersal but not fecundity in Afrotropical forests. AoB PLANTS, 11(1). pp. ply074. 10.1093/aobpla/ply074. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/18063.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Chase Nunez
Student
National Science Foundation Graduate Research FellowNeil Williams President's Fellow

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