João Vitor S. Messeder

Pennsylvania State University | Penn State · Department of Biology

Identifying keystone plant resources (KPR) is a contentious issue in ecology and conservation. Despite recent advances provided by mutualistic networks, we still lack studies addressing large‐scale identification of keystone plants. We developed a novel quantitative framework for the large‐scale identification of KPR that combines centrality and ef...

Background and aims Much of our understanding of the ecology and evolution of seed dispersal in the Neotropics is founded on studies involving the animal-dispersed, hyper-diverse plant clade Miconia (Melastomataceae). Nonetheless, no formal attempt has been made to establish its relevance as a model system or indeed provide evidence of the role of...

Mutualisms between plants and fruit‐eating animals were key to the radiation of angiosperms. Still, phylogenetic uncertainties limit our understanding of fleshy‐fruit evolution, as in the case of Solanum, a genus with remarkable fleshy‐fruit diversity, but with unresolved phylogenetic relationships. We used 1786 nuclear genes from 247 species, incl...

Negative density dependence (NDD) in biotic interactions of interference such as plant–plant competition, granivory and herbivory are well-documented mechanisms that promote species’ coexistence in diverse plant communities worldwide. Here, we investigated the generality of a novel type of NDD mechanism that operates through the mutualistic interac...

Earth harbours an extraordinary plant phenotypic diversity¹ that is at risk from ongoing global changes2,3. However, it remains unknown how increasing aridity and livestock grazing pressure—two major drivers of global change4–6—shape the trait covariation that underlies plant phenotypic diversity1,7. Here we assessed how covariation among 20 chemic...

Increases in the abundance of woody species have been reported to affect the provisioning of ecosystem services in drylands worldwide. However, it is virtually unknown how multiple biotic and abiotic drivers, such as climate, grazing, and fire, interact to determine woody dominance across global drylands. We conducted a standardized field survey in...

Mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) constitutes a major fraction of global soil carbon and is assumed less sensitive to climate than particulate organic carbon (POC) due to protection by minerals. Despite its importance for long-term carbon storage, the response of MAOC to changing climates in drylands, which cover more than 40% of the global...

The recent availability of open‐access repositories of functional traits has revolutionized trait‐based approaches in ecology and evolution. Nevertheless, the underrepresentation of tropical regions and lineages remains a pervasive bias in plant functional trait databases, which constrains large‐scale assessments of plant ecology, evolution, and bi...

The recent availability of open-access repositories of functional traits has revolutionized trait-based approaches in ecology and evolution. Nevertheless, the underrepresentation of tropical regions and lineages remains a pervasive bias in plant functional trait databases, which constrains large-scale assessments of plant ecology, evolution, and bi...

To achieve the ambitious goals of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, restoration frameworks should embrace the diversity of ecosystems found on Earth, including open-canopy ecosystems, which have been largely overlooked. Considering the paucity of scientific foundations promoting restoration science, policy, and practice for open tropical ecos...

Melastomataceae species successfully colonize, and in many cases dominate, ecosystems ranging from forest to open vegetation, from sea level to mountain summits, and isolated islands. This wide distribution is likely related to species dispersal ability. The dispersal mechanisms are diverse, with various fruit types. Dry and fleshy fruits evolved s...

We synthesize the current knowledge about the germination ecology of Neotropical Melastomataceae by reviewing the processes that take place between seed dispersal and seedling establishment. Seed viability is highly variable, with some species producing high amounts of embryoless and unviable seeds. Melastome seeds can persist in the soil for long...

Question - Climate, particularly precipitation, is the primary factor driving tropical plant phenology because of its relevant role in regulating water availability. However, differences in soil physicochemical properties can also drive resource availability, potentially affecting plant phenology, especially under similar rainfall regime environme...

Supplementary material of the paper 'Searching for keystone plant resources in fruit-frugivore interaction networks across the Neotropics' accepted for publication in Biotropica (April 2020). ABSTRACT Identifying keystone plant resources (KPR) is a contentious issue in ecology and conservation. Despite recent advances provided by mutualistic netwo...

Questions Anthropogenic disturbances are known to be followed by extremely poor recovery in edaphic grasslands. However, the role of interactions with diaspore predators and secondary dispersers, which compose the dispersal filter and modulate plant community recovery, remains overlooked. We performed field experiments to investigate how soil distu...

The balance between the costs and benefits of fleshy fruit production depends on the feeding behavior of their seed dispersers, which might effectively disperse seeds to farther areas or drop beneath parent plants some diaspores they handle during frugivory bouts. Nevertheless, the consequences of variation in fruit handling by primary seed dispers...

Experimental setup for assessment of diaspore removal in the field. A, B—Sampling blocks comprising two tracking stations close to each other, one with diaspore piles accessible to ants and vertebrates (open) and the other accessible exclusively to ants (caged); Wire exclosure cages with seed (C) and fruit piles (D); E—Wire cage structure without m...

Supplementary methods. (PDF)

Overview of the study site and plant species. A, B—Study site encompassing campo rupestre vegetation; C—Miconia irwinii treelet; D—Ripe fruits; E, F—Fruits with fleshy pulp partially eaten by birds. (PDF)

Data from “Handling by avian frugivores affects diaspore secondary removal”. (XLSX)

Birds acting as primary seed dispersers of Miconia irwinii at Serra do Cipó, Brazil. The Cinnamon Tanager (Schistochlamys ruficapillus) (A) and the Black-throated Saltator (Saltatricula atricollis) (B) feeding on M. irwinii fruits, pulp-free seeds stuck to the birds’ bills in detail; the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) (C), the Plain...

Ground-dwelling fauna recorded during diaspore removal experiments. A—The Brazilian Guinea Pig (Cavia aperea), its feces and footprints found on a tracking station with missing pulp-free seeds (B); The lizards Tropidurus montanus (C), Eurolophosaurus nanuzae (D) and Ameivula cipoensis (E) were frequently recorded near tracking stations; F—The ant C...

The ant Camponotus rufipes as a secondary seed disperser of Miconia irwinii. Edited by AJA. (MP4)

Traps installed to intercept diaspores falling beneath the crown of Miconia irwinii. A, B, C—Fruiting individuals of M. irwinii with diaspore traps; D—Detail of a diaspore trap made with filter paper attached to wire circles; E—A twine coated with sticky barrier in detail; F—The Chalk-browed Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus) feeding on M. irwinii frui...

S2 Fig. Traps installed to intercept diaspores falling beneath the crown of Miconia irwinii. A, B, C - Fruiting individuals of M. irwinii with diaspore traps; D - Detail of a diaspore trap made with filter paper attached to wire circles; E - A twine coated with sticky barrier in detail; F - The Chalk-browed Mockingbird (Mimus saturninus) feeding on...

S1 Fig. Overview of the study site and plant species. A, B - Study site encompassing campo rupestre vegetation; C - Miconia irwinii treelet; D - Ripe fruits; E, F - Fruits with fleshy pulp partially eaten by birds.

S4 Fig. Birds acting as primary seed dispersers of Miconia irwinii at Serra do Cipó, Brazil. The Cinnamon Tanager (Schistochlamys ruficapillus) (A) and the Black-throated Saltator (Saltatricula atricollis) (B) feeding on M. irwinii fruits, pulp-free seeds stuck to the birds’ bills in detail; the Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis) (C), t...

S1 Text. Supplementary methods.

S1 Film. The ant Camponotus rufipes as a secondary seed disperser of Miconia irwinii. Edited by André Jardin Arruda.

S3 Fig. Experimental setup for assessment of diaspore removal in the field. A, B - Sampling blocks comprising two tracking stations close to each other, one with diaspore piles accessible to ants and vertebrates (open) and the other accessible exclusively to ants (caged); Wire exclosure cages with seed (C) and fruit piles (D); E - Wire cage structu...

S5 Fig. Ground-dwelling fauna recorded during diaspore removal experiments. A - The Brazilian Guinea Pig (Cavia aperea), its feces and footprints found on a tracking station with missing pulp-free seeds (B); The lizards Tropidurus montanus (C), Eurolophosaurus nanuzae (D) and Ameivula cipoensis (E) were frequently recorded near tracking stations; F...

Larger flowers greatly increase among-individual pollen exchange within populations. However, water costs associated to transpirational cooling also increase with increasing flower size. Overall, the interplay between pollen and resource limitation determine the intensity of selection on flower size and this process is mostly dependent on gender an...

The extent of specialization/generalization continuum in fruit-frugivore interactions at the individual level remains poorly explored. Here we investigated the interactions between the Neotropical treelet Miconia irwinii (Melastomataceae) and its avian seed dispersers in Brazilian campo rupestre. We built an individual-based network to derive plant...