![]() ![]() ![]() mamillatum, and most fruits are left to rot on the forest floor. However, no extant frugivores eat the fruits of S. The results showed strong negative effects of proximity to maternal trees on growth and survival of seedlings, suggesting that dispersal is crucial for successful seedling establishment of this species. Within the framework of the Janzen-Connell model, the ecologists investigated seed germination and seedling survival patterns of one of the many critically endangered endemic trees, Syzygium mamillatum (Myrtaceae), in relation to distance from maternal trees. The recent loss of most frugivores in Mauritius has left many fleshy-fruited plant species stranded without crucial seed dispersal interactions, leaving the na tural regeneration dynamics of the forests at a virtual standstill. In essence, the model suggests that for successful seedling establishment, seeds need to be dispersed away from adult trees of the same species, to escape natural enemies that are associated with the adult trees (seed predators, pathogens, herbivores). Why is it important for seeds to be dispersed away from maternal plants" One possible answer is given by the Janzen-Connell model, one of the most studied ecological patterns in tropical mainland forests -but which so far has not been experimentally investigated on oceanic islands. Thus, the real ghosts in Mauritius are not as much the extinct animals themselves, but more importantly the extinct networks of interactions between the species.ĭennis Hansen, Christopher Kaiser and Christine Müller from the University of Zurich investigate how the loss of seed dispersal interactions in Mauritius may affect the regeneration of endemic plants. Recent work has highlighted how it is not species diversity per se, which breathes life into ecosystems, but rather the networks of interactions between organisms. ![]()
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