5th International Symposium-Workshop on Frugivores and Seed Dispersal (1985-2010)

FSD 2010 - Hansen_Traveset

FSD2010

IYB2010

www.cbd.int/2010

Tuesday 15 June - 16:30-18:30 (Einstein)

 

Lizards as seed dispersers in island ecosystems
from divulgare on Vimeo.

Seed dispersal on islands (Abstracts)

Organizers : Dennis Hansen (Stanford University) dmhansen(a)stanford.edu, Anna Traveset (Spanish Research Council) atraveset(a)uib.es

Island ecosystems are famous as natural laboratories for studies in ecology and evolution because of their isolated and relative simple ecosystems. However, compared to continental ecosystems, seed dispersal interactions on islands have only been little studied. And yet, among the ‘noise’ of all the quirky, endemic evolutionary ecology that makes island biology so fascinating, there may be general patterns. For example, while plant diversity on islands is highly idiosyncratic, insular frugivore communities are often assembled from a fairly low number of taxonomical groups, e.g. lizards, tortoises, pigeons, fruitbats. Sadly, islands are also among the most devastated ecosystems worldwide. Scientists and practicioners battle against high rates of extinction and an overwhelming tide of invasive species. In this symposium we aim to explore & highlight the current status of seed dispersal research on islands, both oceanic and continental—with a broad focus on ecology, evolution and conservation.

Speakers and titles (Abstracts)


#
Speaker
Title
1
Hansen, D
Seed dispersal on islands: a global overview of insular frugivores
2
Vidal, A.
The time is ripe for the study of seed dispersal by bats in the greatest of the Antilles: identification of the species involved and a preliminary characterization of the interaction
3
Bennett, D.
Giant frugivorous lizards and Pandanus: seed dispersal and seed fate in lowland dipterocarp forests of the Philippine Islands
4
Calviño-Cancela, M.
Estimating the effectiveness of seed dispersers: The seed dispersal system of Corema album in the Cíes Island
5
Nogales, M.
Pigeons as frugivores on insular environments: the case of two sympatric species in the Canary Islands
6
Spotswood, E.
Novel dispersal relationships on remote oceanic islands affect native communities and species invasions in French Polynesia
7
Griffiths, C.
Restoring seed dispersal functions using taxon substitutes

Photos : Top : juvenile Mauritius bulbul, Hypsipetes olivaceus eating fruits of Ficus reflexa. Middle : A blue-tailed day gecko, Phelsuma cepediana, eating pulp from a Roussea simplex fruit. Bottom : Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) eating a palm fruit in Mauritius. All photos © Dennis Hansen. More about tortoise.