PS 39-71 - Community structure of frugivorous mammals and its relation to useful plants in protected and indigenous territories in the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon

Abstract: The Peruvian Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places in the world and provides multiple ecosystem services. Frugivorous mammals play an essential role in dispersing seeds, contributing to the survival of many utilitarian plants. Indigenous communities rely on them as food and on the plants they disperse, but human demographic and technological changes increase pressure on these animals. Changes in the community structure of large vertebrates affect ecosystem functioning and services. The goal of this study is to compare the community structure of frugivorous mammals in protected areas and indigenous lands and to find the relationship they have to the useful plants they disperse. We focused on mammals important for seed dispersion and game meat, along with plants used by indigenous communities for food, construction, and crafts mainly dispersed by these mammals. We selected three indigenous communities: Boca Pariamanu (BPM), Infierno, and Masenawa, and three protected areas, Hoja Nueva 2, Refugio Amazonas (ARA), and Los Amigos (LA) in Madre de Dios, Peru. We conducted line transects to assess arboreal mammals and camera trapping for terrestrial mammals in terra firme between January to July 2020 and 2021. Saplings and adult plants were surveyed in the same transects. We registered 13 arboreal mammal species in 598.2 walked km and identified 29 terrestrial mammal species (16 frugivores) in 8,177 camera days. Los Amigos registered the highest species richness (S=27), species, and functional diversity indices while BPM showed higher evenness. Dasyprocta variegata was the most abundant species at all sites and Callicebus toppini was the most abundant arboreal mammal in most sites. Out of the 27 selected plant species, LA and ARA registered 20 species. LA also had the highest plant diversity. Geonoma deversa and Heteropsis oblongifolia were the most abundant adult and recruit plant species, which are used for traditional roofs and crafts, respectively. GLMs showed that mammal diversity and protected areas increase the probability of having higher plant diversity, whereas functional group richness and total mammal abundance increase the probability of having higher sapling density, accounting for adult plant density. In conclusion, some indigenous lands preserve a highly biodiverse frugivorous mammal community but a higher abundance of small seed dispersers and seed predators, and functional richness is more important for useful plant regeneration. This research contributes to increasing efforts to assess the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem services in megadiverse areas.