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Lemur losses could threaten Madagascar's largest tree species
"Tropical forest ecosystems globally are threatened by the loss of large fruit-eating animals," said researcher Amy Dunham.
By Brooks Hays | July 2, 2018 at 4:33 PM
The seed dispersal benefits provided by lemurs are essential to the regeneration
success of Madagascar's largest hardwood tree species. Photo by Mathias Appel/Rice
July 2 (UPI) -- Madagascar's largest tree species are under threat. So are the island nation's iconic primates, its lemurs.
Healthy forests are essential to Madagascar's lemurs, and new research suggests the trees need healthy lemur populations to survive. They rely on each other.
"Forest loss is a huge problem in Madagascar right now, but our study suggests that just saving the trees is not enough," Amy Dunham, associate professor of biosciences at Rice University, said in a news release.
Lemurs disperse the seeds of Madagascar's largest hardwood species. And as the new research showed, lemurs are the only animals on the island large enough to ingest the seeds found inside the fruits of Madagascar's largest tree species.
More:
https://www.upi.com/Science_News/2018/07/02/5111530557975/