The Importance of Seed Dispersers in Forest Ecosystems

Dear Colleagues,

Over the last five decades, a growing literature has recognized the importance of animal seed dispersers to the integrity of forest ecosystems.  These dispersers are not only essential to the regeneration of many forest tree species but also to the regeneration of many understory woody and herbaceous plants. The forest ecosystems where animals contribute to forest regeneration and successional changes span the globe, including tropical rain forests, tropical dry and moist deciduous forests, temperate deciduous forests, southern hemisphere temperate Nothofagus and Eucalyptus forests, coniferous forests, boreal forests, southern hemisphere, and subpolar forests. The animal seed dispersers that contribute to forest regeneration are highly diverse including marsupials, ungulates, rodents, primates, elephants, carnivores, bats, and birds.  Birds, bats, carnivores, and other mobile species are important for effecting long distance seed dispersal, which contributes not only to gene flow but regeneration across naturally patchy landscapes as well as landscapes fragmented through anthropogenic activities.  Seed dispersers with large home ranges or who exhibit wide-ranging movements, such as corvids, ungulates, and carnivores, potentially serve as mobile links, connecting different forest ecosystems.  Finally, seed dispersal by animals also serves an important role in regeneration of forest ecosystems following major disturbance events, especially wildfire, and the secondary regrowth of forested lands that were cleared for farming and pasturelands.  Global forest restoration efforts may be facilitated by recognizing and harnessing the dispersal activities of animals.

The objectives for this Special Issue of Forests are to provide new information on the importance of seed dispersers to forest ecosystems, conceptual perspectives on seed dispersal interactions, additional information on known interactions, and information on the role of animal seed dispersers in forest restoration projects. The issue will also consider studies of animal dispersal of fungal species, which are important to forest tree health and survival.

Dr. Diana F. Tomback
Guest Editor

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• animal seed dispersers
• forest disturbance
• forest ecosystems
• forest regeneration
• forest restoration
• fragmented landscapes
• long-distance seed dispersal
• understory plant seed dispersal
• zoochory