Body mass determines the role of mammal species in a frugivore-large fruit interaction network in a Neotropical savanna

Abstract

Frugivorous mammals play an important role in maintaining biodiversity and are considered one of the main dispersers of large seeds. In this study, we describe the structure of the interaction network between non-flying mammals and seven plant species with large fruits in a megadiverse savanna-forest mosaic in the Brazilian Cerrado. We also evaluated the individual contribution of each species to the organization of the interaction network and tested whether body mass determined the mammals' role in the network. To record frugivory events of mammals with arboreal and terrestrial habits, camera traps were installed at ground and canopy levels. We identified 18 mammal species interacting with seven plant species in 515 frugivory events. Our observations highlight an interaction network with a modular and non-nested topology and the important role of large mammals in the network structure, which reflects the importance of the group in potential seed dispersal. The extinction of large frugivorous mammals can cause several damages to ecosystem services in the Brazilian Cerrado through changes in network structure, especially threatening the survival of plant species with large fruits.