Influence of frugivore taxa on the generation of plant recruitment foci and on the composition of plant recruits’ communities

Frugivores can disperse seeds in a spatially contagious pattern and generate recruitment foci (e.g. under fruiting trees). This process is increasingly explored to understand the influence of frugivores on the spatial organization of plant communities, and can also serve as a method to efficiently monitor the consequences of animal extirpation. However, there is limited evidence contrasting the influence of different frugivores taxa on the creation of recruitment foci under fruiting trees, and, similarly, on the overall composition of plant communities. Here, we aimed (i) to compare the role of hornbills and primates in creating recruitment foci, and (ii) to investigate how the presence of hornbills, primates and elephants influence the overall composition of plant recruit’s community in an anthropized forest-savanna mosaic in DR Congo. We firstly compared the community of recruits (0.5-2 m high) in 25-m² plots below hornbill-dispersed trees (Staudtia kamerunensis, N=32), primate-dispersed trees (Dialium spp., N=26), and in control plots located below other tree species (N= 4900 m²). Secondly, we considered all plots to compare the community of recruits in five sites characterized by contrasted levels of hunting and housing different seed disperser communities. Our preliminary results indicate (i) communities of recruits below hornbill-dispersed trees are significantly more dense and richer than in control plots, unlike these below primate-dispersed trees. Also, (ii) recruits in sites less affected by hunting, housing more large frugivores, including elephants, tend to belong to species with longer seeds. We conclude that hornbills generate recruitment foci under fruiting trees, which can serve as an efficient tool to monitor the ecological consequences of their extirpation. Moreover, we discuss the potential influence of the different studied frugivore taxa and the risk of their extirpation from afro-tropical forests on the composition of plant recruits’ community