Endozoochorous seed dispersal by wild ungulates and its consequences on plant metacommunities in a fragmented landscape
Résumé
Endozoochorous dispersal is a key process in plant metacommunity dynamics, which influences population connectivity and community assembly rules especially in fragmented landscapes. Due to their large home ranges and their propensity to cover long distances across diverse habitats, wild ungulates are expected to be effective plant vectors. We use an original combination of empirical experiments and mechanistic modelling to assess the contribution of three ungulates (Cervus elaphus, Capreolus capreolus and Sus scrofa) to plant community assembly in French forests.