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Phenology, seed dispersal, and recruitment in Cecropia peltata (Moraceae) in Costa Rican tropical dry forest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Theodore H. Fleming  and
Charles F. Williams
Theodore H. Fleming
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124, USA
Charles F. Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124, USA
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Abstract

We studied the seed dispersal ecology of the Neotropical pioneer tree Cecropia peltata L. (Moraceae) in tropical dry forest by documenting its (1) fruiting phenology, (2) rates of visitation by vertebrate frugivores, and (3) rate of recruitment of juveniles in different habitats at Santa Rosa National Park in northwestern Costa Rica.

At Santa Rosa, C. peltata is a common but patchily-distributed plant. Fruiting in females is seasonal, and fruit availability peaks in June through August (the early wet season). Females bear a few ripe fruit per day over a 4–5 month, fruiting period. At least 28 vertebrate species (15 diurnal and 13 nocturnal species) eat Cecropia fruit; equal numbers of ripe fruit are removed during the night and day. Owing to their more gentle treatment of seeds in the gut, birds and bats probably are more effective dispersal agents than monkeys. The recruitment rate of juveniles into already established populations was about 0.8 ha−1 y−1 compared with a rate of 176 ha−1 y−1 during the colonization of a cleared roadside.

Keywords

Cecropia peltataCosta Ricaphenologyplant recruitmentseed dispersal
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , May 1990 , pp. 163 - 178
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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