Fruit dispersal of an invasive species (Ligustrum lucidum) in a fragmented landscape.

FERRERAS, A.,E.; TORRES C; GALETTO L

JOURNAL OF ARID ENVIRONMENTS

ACADEMIC PRESS LTD-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2008 vol. 72 p. 1573 - 1580

0140-1963

Co´ rdoba, Argentina. We considered densities of both L. lucidum and the other ?LWe evaluated if fruit removal of an exotic and invasive species Ligustrum lucidum (Oleaceae)?varies between fragments of different sizes in the Chaco dry forests of Córdoba ornithochorous plant species that bear fruit simultaneously with L. lucidum, as variables that could influence fruit removal of this species. We sampled three small (0.5?5 ha), two medium fragments (10?30 ha), and two continuous forests (more than 1000 ha). The percentage of fruits removed per tree was higher in small fragments than in medium or large ones. We did not find significant differences in plant density between fragments of different size neither for L. lucidum nor for the other ornithochorous plant species. During the ??effective?? removal period of L. lucidum (i.e., when animals removed fruits), the other ornithochorous plant species did not offer fruits.