Global study of seed consumption uncovers wider risk to plant species

Date: July 20, 2015

Source: University of New South Wales

Summary: The first worldwide study of animals and the seeds they eat has overturned a long-held assumption -- that large animals mainly eat large seeds. The finding shows that a wider variety of plants than is often thought could be at risk if large animals go extinct and do not disperse their seeds. The study covers 13,000 animal-seed interactions and includes all vertebrate species -- fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals -- from areas ranging from the Arctic tundra to tropical rainforests.

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