Scale‐dependent effects of forest restoration on Neotropical fruit bats

Neotropical fruit bats (family Phyllostomidae) facilitate forest regeneration on degraded lands by dispersing shrub and tree seeds. Accordingly, if fruit bats can be attracted to restoration sites, seed dispersal could be enhanced. We surveyed bat communities at 10 sites in southern Costa Rica to evaluate whether restoration treatments attracted more fruit bats if trees were planted on degraded farmlands in plantations or island configurations versus natural regeneration. We also compared the relative influence of tree cover at local and landscape spatial scales on bat abundances. We captured 68% more fruit bat individuals in tree plantations as in controls, whereas tree island plots were intermediate. Bat activity also responded to landscape tree cover within a 200‐m radius of restoration plots, with greater abundance but lower species richness in deforested landscapes. Fruit bat captures in controls and tree island plots declined with increasing landscape tree cover, but captures in plantations were relatively constant. Individual species responded differentially to tree cover measured at different spatial scales. We attribute restoration effects primarily to habitat structure rather than food resources because no planted trees produced fruits regularly eaten by bats. The magnitude of tree planting effects on fruit bats was less than previous studies have found for frugivorous birds, suggesting that bats may play a particularly important role in dispersing seeds in heavily deforested and naturally regenerating areas. Nonetheless, our results show that larger tree plantations in more intact landscapes are more likely to attract diverse fruit bats, potentially enhancing seed dispersal.     

Seed Dispersal by Bats and Birds in Forest and Disturbed Habitats of Chiapas,Mexico1

We examined seed dispersal by bats and birds in four habitats of the Selva Lacandona tropical rain forest region, Chiapas, Mexico. The four habitats represented a disturbance gradient: active cornfield, ten-year-old abandoned cornfield, cacao plantation, and forest. Using seed traps examined before sunrise (0400 h) and before sunset (1800 h), we compared volant vertebrate seed dispersal, assuming that seeds found at the end of the night were dispersed by bats and those found at the end of the day were dispersed by birds. We did not find seeds from other frugivores such as monkeys or opossums. In all habitats bats dispersed more seeds than birds. In most months bats also dispersed more seeds than birds, except in December when no seeds were found in the traps. Bats also consistently dispersed more species of seeds than birds, although a x2 comparison showed differences not to be significant. Fifty percent of the species represented in the dispersed seeds in all habitats were pioneer species. Cecropia seeds represented a high percentage (up to 87% of those dispersed by bats and up to 83% by birds) of dispersed seeds that fell in our traps. The influence of bats and birds on secondary successional processes is likely to be fundamental for the establishment of vegetation. Since bats dispersed more seeds than birds (primarily to disturbed areas and consisting primarily of pioneer species), they are likely to play an important role in successional and restoration processes among habitats as structurally and vegetationally different as cornfields, old fields, cacao plantations, and forest.     

Edge effects in recruitment of trees, and relationship to seed dispersal patterns, in cleared strips in the Peruvian Amazon

We investigated the spatial pattern of tree recruitment 15 years after clear-cutting in two logged strips in the Peruvian Amazon, focusing on differences between seed dispersal modes and cohorts, and relating these to spatial patterns of seed dispersal in the years immediately following clearing. Most trees that recruited in logged strips belonged to taxa dispersed by birds or nonvolant mammals, with smaller numbers dispersed by bats or wind. Seed dispersal patterns differed, with few mammal-dispersed seeds reaching strips, bird-dispersed seeds more abundant near the forest edge than strip centers, and bat- and wind-dispersed seeds more evenly distributed. However, this pattern was not reflected in the tree recruits, except in the deferment cut half of strip 2. Different dispersal modes were differentially represented in different cohorts; for example, in strip 1 bird-dispersed trees predominated in early cohorts, while trees dispersed by nonvolant mammals predominated in later cohorts. Our finding that trees dispersed by mammals (which disperse the majority of commercial trees in Amazonia) successfully regenerate from seed in the interior of logged strips highlights the value of maintaining these animals in forest management systems.     

Seed Dispersal by Birds and Bats in Lowland Philippine Forest Successional Area

In the tropical forests of SE Asia, only a few studies have dealt with the role animal dispersal plays in early forest succession and rehabilitation, and a comparison of bird and bat dispersal is even rarer. We investigated seed dispersal by birds and bats in a successional area in the lowland dipterocarp forest of the Subic Watershed Forest Reserve (SWFR) in Luzon Island, Philippines. Using pairs of day and night traps, we collected seeds during 3 mo of wet season and 3 mo of dry season in a 1.2-ha study site. Bird-dispersed seeds predominated over those dispersed by bats in terms of both seed abundance and number of seed species. The most abundant endozoochorous seed species were significantly biased toward either bird or bat dispersal. Birds and bats appeared to compete more strongly for fruit resources during the dry season than during the wet season, and bats responded more to changes in the seasons than birds did. GLM analyses showed that the factor that had the strongest influence on overall seed distribution was the number of fleshy-fruited trees surrounding the traps, and that the distribution pattern of day-dispersed seeds was affected by more physical factors (number of trees, size of trees, presence of fleshy-fruited and conspecific trees) in the study site than the pattern of night-dispersed seeds were. Given that birds are the more important dispersers in the study site, restoration efforts in SWFR might benefit by focusing on attracting these dispersers into its degraded habitats.     

The Bushmeat Harvest Alters Seedling Banks by Favoring Lianas, Large Seeds, and Seeds Dispersed by Bats, Birds, and Wind

We evaluated predictions that hunters favor lianas, large seeds, and seeds dispersed by bats, small birds, and mechanical means for seedling banks in central Panama. We censused 3201 trees in 20 1-ha plots and 38,250 seedlings in the central 64 m² of each plot. We found significant differences in the species composition of the seedling bank between nine protected sites in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument and 11 hunted sites in the contiguous Parque Nacional Soberanía. Lianas, species with large seeds, and species with seeds dispersed by bats, small birds, and mechanical means were all overrepresented at hunted sites. The latter two findings could also be evaluated relative to the species composition of reproductively mature adults for canopy trees. The tree species present in the seedling bank had significantly heavier seeds than the tree species present as adults at hunted sites but not at protected sites. The representation of seed dispersal modes among the species present in the seedling bank did not reflect pre-existing differences in the local species composition of adults. We hypothesize that hunting large seed predators favors large seeds by reducing predation and increasing survival. We also hypothesize that the harvest of large birds and mammals that disperse many seeds favors other species whose seeds are dispersed by bats, small birds, and mechanical means. This process also favors lianas because the seeds of disproportionate numbers of liana species are dispersed by wind.     

Seed Dispersers,Seed Predators,and Browsers Act Synergistically as Biotic Filters in a Mosaic Landscape

In this study, we analize the functional influence of animals on the plants they interact with in a mediterranean mountain. We hypothesise that seed dispersers, seed predators, and browsers can act as biotic filters for plant communities. We analyse the combined effects of mutualistic (seed dispersal) and antagonistic (seed predation, herbivory) animal interactions in a mosaic landscape of Mediterranean mountains, basing our results on observational and experimental field. Most of the dispersed seeds came from tree species, whereas the population of saplings was composed predominantly of zoochorous shrub species. Seed predators preferentially consumed seeds from tree species, whereas seeds from the dominant fleshy-fruited shrubs had a higher probability of escaping these predators. The same pattern was repeated among the different landscape units by browsers, since they browsed selectively and far more intensely on tree-species saplings than on the surrounding shrubs. In synthesis, our work identifies the major biotic processes that appear to be favoring a community dominated by shrubs versus trees because seed dispersers, predators, and herbivores together favored shrub dispersal and establishment versus trees.     

Patterns of Seed Dispersal and Dispersal Failure in a Hawaiian Dry Forest Having Only Introduced Birds

Dry forests are among the most endangered natural communities in the Hawaiian Islands. Most have been reduced to isolated trees and small forest fragments in which native tree species reproduce poorly. The replacement of native birds by introduced generalists may be contributing to dry forest decline through modification of seed dispersal patterns. To document seed dispersal by introduced birds, we conducted foraging observations on fleshy-fruited trees and measured seed rain under trees and in adjacent open areas for 1 year in a dry forest dominated by native trees. Although trees covered only 15.2 percent of the study area, 96.9 percent of the bird-dispersed seeds were deposited beneath them. The Japanese white-eye (Zosterops japonicus) was the principal dispersal agent. Among bird-dispersed seeds, those of the invasive tree Bocconia frutescens accounted for 75 percent of all seeds collected beneath trees (14.8 seeds/m²/yr) and the invasive shrub Lantana camara accounted for 17 percent. Although nearly 60 percent of the reserve's native woody species possess fleshy fruits, introduced birds rarely disperse their seeds. Native trees accounted for <8 percent of all bird-dispersed seeds and are consequently experiencing dispersal failure by falling directly under parent trees. Smaller-seeded non-native plants, in contrast, may be benefiting from dispersal by introduced birds. Current dispersal patterns suggest that these readily disseminated non-native plants may eventually replace the remaining native flora.     

Comparing the Dispersal of Large-seeded Tree Species by Frugivore Assemblagesin Tropical Montane Forest in Africa

We examined frugivore visitation and seed dispersal of five large-seeded (≥ 5 mm) tree species in tropical montane forest based on their occurrence in frugivorous primate diets: Ekebergia capensis, Olea capensis, Parinari excelsa, Prunus africana , and Syzygium guineense. A total of 21 frugivores in five assemblages ( i.e. , chimpanzees, cercopithecines, large-bodied birds, small-bodied birds, and squirrels) were observed over the study period (August 2006 and October–April 2007). We observed seed dispersal in four of five tree species studied; no dispersal was observed for P. excelsa . Frugivore assemblages did not visit tree species equally. Primates spent the most time in trees and had the largest group size. Large-bodied birds (LB) and chimpanzees dispersed the highest number of seeds per minute. LB and cercopithecines potentially dispersed the greatest number of seeds for E. capensis , and chimpanzees for S. guineense . Our analyses indicated that the mean fruiting duration of the focal tree, time in the tree, and number of species present are important predictor variables for seed dispersal by small- and large-bodied birds, and cercopithecines. The number of fruiting trees in the immediate vicinity of the focal tree further predicted seed dispersal for small-bodied birds (SB). Large-bodied birdseed dispersal also was predicted by time in tree by SB, and the number of individuals for SB and cercopithecines. Cercopithecines (CS) were further explained by the time in tree and number of species (SB & LB), and number of individuals for CS. Our study highlights the complexity of describing the relative importance of a frugivore assemblage to the dispersal of a tree species seeds.     

Non‐native fruit trees facilitate colonization of native forest on abandoned farmland

Ecological restoration of abandoned, formerly forested farmland can improve the delivery of ecosystem services and benefit biodiversity conservation. Restoration programs can involve removing isolated, non‐native trees planted by farmers for fruit or wood. As such “legacy” trees can attract seed dispersers and create microclimates that help native seedlings to establish, removing them may actually slow forest recovery. Working on abandoned farmland in Kibale National Park, Uganda, we evaluated the effect of legacy trees on forest recovery by measuring the number, diversity, and biomass of native seedlings and saplings regenerating in plots centered on avocado (Persea americana), mango (Mangifera indica), and Eucalyptus legacy trees compared with adjacent plots without legacy trees. The assemblages of native, forest‐dependent tree species in plots around avocado and mango trees were distinct from each other and from those around eucalyptus and all the near‐legacy plots. In particular, avocado plots had higher stem density and species richness of forest‐dependent species than near‐avocado plots, particularly large‐seeded, shade‐tolerant, and animal‐dispersed species—key targets of many restoration plans. Furthermore, many of the species found in high numbers were among those failing to establish in ongoing large‐scale forest restoration in Kibale. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the legacy trees facilitate the dispersal and establishment of native tree species. Retaining the existing legacy trees for a number of years could usefully complement existing management strategies to restore more biodiverse native forest in degraded lands. However, careful monitoring is needed to ensure that the legacy trees do not themselves establish.     

Fruit Bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) as Seed Dispersers and Pollinators in a Lowland Malaysian Rain Forest1

The aims of this study were to (1) characterize the food resources exploited by fruit bats (Pteropodidae) within an old‐growth Malaysian dipterocarp forest, (2) test the viability of the seeds they disperse, and (3) provide an estimate of the proportion of trees that are to some degree dependent upon bats for seed dispersal and/or pollination. Fruit species exploited by bats could be distinguished from those eaten by birds largely on the basis of color (as perceived by human beings). Bat‐dispersed fruits were typically inconspicuous shades of green–yellow or dull red–brown, whereas fruits eaten by birds were generally bright orange to red. Dietary overlap between bats and nonflying mammals was relatively high. In contrast to primates and squirrels, which were major seed predators for several of the plant species under investigation, fruit bats had no negative impact on seed viability. A botanical survey in 1 ha of old‐growth forest revealed that 13.7 percent of trees (?15 cm girth at breast height) were at least partially dependent upon fruit bats for pollination and/or seed dispersal.     

Planting Design Effects on Avian Seed Dispersers in a Tropical Forest Restoration Experiment

Seed dispersal often limits tropical forest regeneration and animals disperse most rainforest tree seeds. This presents two important questions for restoration ecologists: (1) which animals are common seed dispersers? and (2) which restoration techniques attract them? Fourteen restoration sites were planted with four tree species in three designs, (1) controls (no planting, natural regeneration) (2) islands (trees planted in small patches), and (3) plantations (trees planted continuously over a large patch). We sampled birds in November, February, and April 2007–2008 with mist nets, in February and July 2009 with observations, and in July 2008 with both techniques. We documented 30 seed species from fecal samples of captured birds. All identified seed species were early‐successional forms. Four tanager species, three thrushes, two saltators, two flycatchers, and one finch were categorized as common seed dispersers, based on their high likelihood of dispersing seeds. Common dispersers were generalist species with small gape widths (<15 mm). Common dispersers were captured significantly more often in plantations than controls in most seasons and more often in plantations than islands during one season. Common disperser observations were significantly greater in plantations than controls during two periods and in plantations compared with islands in one period. Results indicate that plantation‐style planting is the conservative strategy to maximize attractiveness to common dispersers in tropical restoration sites. Island planting is an alternative when resources are limited although disperser activity may be lower in some seasons than in plantations. Additional research should investigate how to attract large, forest‐associated dispersers.     

Effect of Bat Exclusion on Patterns of Seed Rain in Tropical Rain Forest in French Guiana

To assess the impact of bats on seed dispersal in a tropical mature forest (Nouragues, French Guiana), we conducted a bat exclusion experiment and tested the hypotheses that an artificial reduction in the abundance of bats would result in: (1) a decrease in seed species diversity, at the community level; and (2) an increase in seed limitation (a failure of seeds to reach all suitable sites for germination) at the species level. Seed rain was sampled in two contiguous forest plots for a total of 120 d, using 49 seed traps (1 m²) arranged in 7 × 7 grids and spaced at 5-m intervals. Using mist nets, bat activity was reduced in one forest plot for a total of 60 nights. Thirty-nine plant species, or species groups, likely to be consumed and dispersed by bats, were collected within a total sample of 50,063 seeds. The overall seed rain was dominated by epiphytic Araceae and Cyclanthaceae (83.3%) and tree species within the genera Cecropia and Ficus (16.0%). Seeds from bat-dispersed shrubs and treelets ( Piper , Solanum , and Vismia ) were relatively rare (0.7%). The bat exclusion resulted in a 30.5 percent reduction in seed species richness and increased seed limitation for most of the species sampled. Seed limitation was caused mainly by a reduced seed rain (seed source limitation) rather than a decrease in seed dispersal uniformity (seed dispersal limitation). Therefore, bat-dispersed plants with low seed production are likely to be particularly affected by a decline in bat abundance, as a result of anthropogenic change.     

Seed rain into upland plant communities in Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong is an extreme example of tropical landscape degradation, with no substantial remnants of the original forest cover and a highly impoverished disperser fauna. Seed availability is a potential limiting factor in vegetation recovery in such landscapes. To assess the quantity and quality of the seed rain of woody taxa, seed traps were placed in the major upland vegetation types: fire-maintained grassland, shrubland, and secondary forest. Within the grassland site, traps were placed under isolated trees, isolated male and female shrubs of Eurya chinensis, and in the open. Seeds were collected every 2 weeks for 2 years. The seed rain was highest under female shrubs in grassland (6455 seeds m⁻² year⁻¹), where it was almost entirely confined to their fruiting period. Next highest were isolated trees (890 seeds), followed by male isolated shrubs (611 seeds), shrubland (558 seeds), forest (129 seeds) and open grassland (47 seeds). The number of seed taxa was highest in shrubland (59), followed by isolated trees (42), forest (42), female isolated shrubs (28), male isolated shrubs (15), and open grassland (9). The seed rain differed in species composition between the forest, shrubland, and grassland sites, while the differences within the grassland site were largely in terms of quantity. Birds (particularly bulbuls, Pycnonotus spp.) are known or inferred to be the major dispersal agents for 85% of the seed taxa trapped, 99% of the total number of seeds trapped, and 99.8% of the seeds trapped in the grassland site. Few taxa and of the total seeds were dispersed by wind and no seed taxa were definitely dispersed by fruit bats. The results suggest that even in the most degraded landscape the seed rain is adequate for the development of woody vegetation cover, but that human intervention will be needed for the restoration of plant diversity.     

The Role of Isolated Trees in Facilitating Tree Seedling Recruitment at a Degraded Sub-Tropical Rainforest Site

Successional development at abandoned farmlands in southern Queensland, formerly occupied by sub-tropical rain forest is centred around scattered, isolated trees. Soil seed banks contain few woody plants and most tree species appear to be recruited from seed dispersed into the site by birds or bats. Scattered, low-growing trees <3 m in height act as the initial focus for the activities of seed-dispersing birds, but this process is accelerated by the development of taller trees> 6 m in height that act as bird perches. The identity of these trees and whether or not they offer a fruit reward appears to matter less than their structure and suitability as a bird perch. The process of seedling recruitment may be accelerated when two or more trees form a cluster. The proportion of seedlings that survive and grow beyond 150 cm in height appears to be very small. Most of those that do can be classed as secondary rather than primary forest species, even though many primary forest species initially colonize the site. These observations were used to develop guidelines to accelerate the recovery of rainforest at degraded sites. The guidelines promote the early establishment of species that are usually poorly dispersed (e.g., large-fruited species), planted in scattered clumps. The guidelines should be suitable for situations where relatively large areas are in need of rehabilitation.     

Seed dispersal by wind,birds, and bats between Philippine montane rainforest and successional vegetation

In the moist Neotropics, vertebrate frugivores have a much greater role in the dispersal of forest and successional woody plants than wind, and bats rather than birds play the dominant role in dispersing early successional species. I investigated whether these patterns also occurred in a Philippine montane rainforest and adjacent successional vegetation. I also asked whether seed mass was related to probability of dispersal between habitats. A greater number of woody species and stems in the forest produced vertebrate-dispersed seeds than wind-dispersed seeds. Although input of forest seeds into the successional area was dominated by vertebrate-dispersed seeds in terms of species richness, wind-dispersed seeds landed in densities 15 times higher. Frugivorous birds dispersed more forest seeds and species into the successional area than bats, and more successional seeds and species into the forest. As expected, seed input declined with distance from source habitat. Low input of forest seeds into the successional area at the farthest distance sampled, 40 m from forest edge, particularly for vertebrate-dispersed seeds, suggests very limited dispersal out of forest even into a habitat in which woody successional vegetation provides perches and fruit resources. For species of vertebrate-dispersed successional seeds, probability of dispersal into forest declined significantly with seed mass.     

The Role of Arboreal Seed Dispersal Groups on the Seed Rain of a Lowland Tropical Forest1

Most tropical plants produce fleshy fruits that are dispersed primarily by vertebrate frugivores. Behavioral disparities among vertebrate seed dispersers could influence patterns of seed distribution and thus forest structure. This study investigated the relative importance of arboreal seed dispersers and seed predators on the initial stage of forest organization–seed deposition. We asked the following questions: (1) To what degree do arboreal seed dispersers influence the species richness and abundance of the seed rain? and (2) Based on the plant species and strata of the forest for which they provide dispersal services, do arboreal seed dispersers represent similar or distinct functional groups? To answer these questions, seed rain was sampled for 12 months in the Dja Reserve, Cameroon. Seed traps representing five percent of the crown area were erected below the canopies of 90 trees belonging to nine focal tree species: 3 dispersed by monkeys, 3 dispersed by large frugivorous birds, and 3 wind‐dispersed species. Seeds disseminated by arboreal seed dispersers accounted for ca 12 percent of the seeds and 68 percent of the seed species identified in seed traps. Monkeys dispersed more than twice the number of seed species than large frugivorous birds, but birds dispersed more individual seeds. We identified two distinct functional dispersal groups, one composed of large frugivorous birds and one composed of monkeys, drop dispersers, and seed predators. These groups dispersed plants found in different canopy strata and exhibited low overlap in the seed species they disseminated. We conclude it is unlikely that seed dispersal services provided by monkeys could be compensated for by frugivorous birds in the event of their extirpation from Afrotropical forests.     

Bird Perches Increase Forest Seeds on Puerto Rican Landslides

Abstract Landslides result in the loss of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and the soil seed bank. These losses impede timely recovery of tropical forest communities. In this study we added bird perches to six Puerto Rican landslides with three types of surfaces (bare, climbing fern, grass) in an effort to facilitate inputs of forest seeds through bird dispersal and to accelerate plant succession. Numbers of bird‐dispersed forest seeds were significantly higher in plots beneath introduced perches than in control plots. Perches did not increase forest seedling densities compared with control plots. Seven different species of birds were observed on introduced perches. Because 99% of the seed inputs to controls and perch plots in the six landslides were wind‐dispersed seeds (mostly graminoids), perches can improve landslide restoration if woody plants establish and shade out the dominant graminoid and climbing fern ground cover. Although increasing seed inputs from forest species is a critical step in accelerating revegetation of landslides, we suggest that supplemental restoration techniques be applied in addition to bird perches to promote forest recovery.     

Artificial Bird Perches for the Regeneration of Degraded Tropical Peat Swamp Forest: A Restoration Tool with Limited Potential

Forest rehabilitation activities have been initiated on degraded peatland at several sites in Southeast Asia. In order to achieve rehabilitation efficiently and on the largest possible scale, cost‐effective, transferable methods need to be established. One potential method, which has previously proven successful in both temperate and neotropical forest ecosystems, is the construction of artificial bird perches outside the forest edge. These provide resting perches for frugivorous birds, encouraging them to fly out of the forest, thus increasing seed dispersal and subsequent seedling recruitment into the degraded area. This method was trialled for the first time in degraded tropical peat swamp forest in Indonesia. The results show that the perches were used by frugivorous birds, leading to a significant increase in seed dispersal; however, seedling recruitment was not increased. The frugivorous birds using the perches were degraded zone species and dispersed mainly tree species from the degraded area. Furthermore, while some seeds of forest‐area tree species were dispersed, largely only the degraded area tree species survived to seedling stage. Neither seasonality nor distance from forest edge proved to be significant factors influencing seed dispersal or seedling recruitment, the latter highlighting that seeds were principally being dispersed from within the degraded area rather than from the forest. Although artificial perches did increase seed dispersal, their use as an actual restoration tool in the process of forest regeneration on degraded tropical peatland is limited. Furthermore, when the cost‐ and effort‐to‐area factors are considered, this method is shown to be inefficient.     

Spatial distribution of understory fruit-eating birds and fruiting plants in a neotropical lowland wet forest

Spatial distribution of fruit-eating birds and fruiting shrubs of the Melastomataceae and Rubiaceae were examined on a 10 ha plot in tropical lowland wet forest of Costa Rica. Many plant species and most birds exhibited considerable spatial variation in their occurrence on the plot, as indicated by the distribution patterns of shrubs with ripe fruits and captures in mist nets, respectively. In many cases, captures of fruit-eating birds were correlated with abundance of fruiting plants, particularly for species that rely heavily on fruits. In general, fruit-eating birds concentrated their use of the plot to areas rich in fruiting shrubs. This differential use of certain areas likely results in differential visitation to fruiting plants located in these areas and in a heterogeneous dissemination of seeds into the habitat.     

Mammalian seed dispersal in Cantabrian woodland pastures: Network structure and response to forest loss

We evaluated the role of wild large mammals as dispersers of fleshy-fruited woody plants in woodland pastures of the Cantabrian range (N Spain). By searching for seeds in mammal scats across four localities, we addressed how extensive seed dispersal was in relation to the fleshy-fruited plant community, and applied a network approach to identify the relative role of mammal species in the seed dispersal process. We also tested the response of mammalian dispersers to forest availability at increasing spatial scales. Five carnivores and three ungulates dispersed seeds of eight fleshy-fruited trees and shrubs. Mammalian seed dispersal did not mirror community-wide fruit availability, as abundant fruiting trees were scarce whereas thorny shrubs were over-represented among dispersed species. The dispersal network was dominated by bramble (Rubus ulmifolius/fruticosus), the remaining plants being rarer and showing more restricted disperser coteries. Fox (Vulpes vulpes), badger (Meles meles), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) dispersed mostly bramble, whereas martens (Martes sp.) dispersed mostly wild rose (Rosa sp.). Ungulates occasionally dispersed holly (Ilex aquifolium) and hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). The empirical network reflected a skewed distribution of interactions and some functional complementarity (as judged from the low levels of connectance and nestedness), but also some degree of specialization. Mammals overused uncovered microsites for seed deposition, and increased their disperser activity in those landscape sectors devoid of forest. Combined with previous findings on avian seed dispersal, this study suggest a strong functional complementarity coming from the low overlap in the main plant types that mammals and birds disperse – thorny shrubs and trees, respectively – and the differential patterns of seed deposition, with mammals mostly dispersing into deforested areas, and birds into forest-rich landscapes.