Seed dispersal by tantalus monkeys (Chlorocebus tantalus tantalus) in a Nigerian montane forest

摘要

Nigeria has the highest rate of deforestation in the world; between 2000 and 2005, the country lost 55.7% of its primary forests (FAO, 2005). Montane forests are especially vulnerable because of increasing human populations and lack of resources to enforce conservation policies (Zanne & Chapman, 2001; Beck & Chapman, 2008). Forest regeneration is one way to mitigate widespread forest clearance, and frugivores are vital to seed dispersal and forest regeneration (Chapman & Onderdonk, 1998; Garber & Lambert, 1998; Duncan & Chapman, 2002). In the tropics, primates are key dispersers because their gape width enables them to swallow large seeds (Chapman, 1995). However, few studies have been conducted to determine the importance of primate frugivores in the regeneration of West African montane forests.