Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
The Wet Tropics Bioregion hosts a startling diversity of species, many of which are endemic and/or endangered. The habitats in which these species are found have been threatened by intensive logging post-European settlement, which has increased the susceptibility of the isolated remnant fragments to cyclone-related disturbances. In this study, we surveyed the visitation rates of frugivores to Ficus species between Cape Tribulation and Yungaburra in Northeast Queensland, Australia, as well as the epiphyte abundance supported by these trees. We found that in upland rainforest, the forces of cyclones and habitat fragmentation act in confluence on epiphyte abundance via the moderation of Ficus presence and DBH and exposure to competing vines along fragment edges; by contrast, epiphyte abundance was higher along fragment edges in lowland rainforest, possibly due an increased adaptability to higher temperatures, light intensity, and rainfall that is characteristic of coastal lowland rainforest. Our results also indicate that intense cyclones can produce longer lasting reductions in frugivore abundance than previously measured, regardless of a high degree of habitat intactness.
Disciplines
Life Sciences
Recommended Citation
Trinidad, Jordan, "J.A.M: what epiphyte load and frugivore abundance in Ficus species can tell us about disturbance regimes in Tropical North Queensland" (2025). Australia: Rainforest, Reef, and Cultural Ecology. 1.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/ase2/1