1. Introduction
1.1 Importance of
animal-mediated seed dispersal
Seed dispersal is one of the most important ecosystem services globally
(Aslan et al, 2013). Seed dispersal shapes plant populations by ensuring
their regeneration through gene flow and increasing the spacing of
individuals, which reduces the likelihood of density-dependent mortality
near parental plants (Jansen et al, 2008; Jordano, et al, 2011). Humans
indirectly benefit from this global service through the seed dispersal
of valuable timber species, and edible and medicinal plants (Wenny et
al, 2016), yet seed dispersal is one of the most threatened processes in
plant regeneration, worldwide (Neuschulz et al, 2016). Habitat loss and
fragmentation are the main threats to seed dispersal as they restrict
the movement and natural behaviour of local seed dispersers (Mahoney et
al, 2018; Browne and Karubian, 2018). Accurate measurement of seed
dispersal distances is therefore essential to fully understand the
effect of habitat loss on critical ecosystem services.