Abstract
We test and discuss two hypotheses relating autumn leaf-color to fruit color (Kerner, 1895) and to potential avian consumption (Stiles, 1982), using data from east-central Illinois. Kerner proposed that certain color combinations of fruit and background (foliage or branches) are particularly conspicuous and common and that in deciduousleaved plants they tend to occur in a certain seasonal order. We found no evidence to support this proposition for the eastern deciduous forest (and its edges) in our area. Stiles proposed that early autumn leaf-color might be well-developed in species with inconspicuous fruiting displays, in species with oily fruits, and in fruit-bearing individuals more than barren ones. None of these predictions was supported by our data. Fruit removal rates on experimentally ‘flagged’ individuals were no higher than on controls in any of the three species examined. In addition, many plants without food rewards for frugivores have colorful crowns in early fall and many fruit crops remain until late fall. The evidence for ‘foliar flags’ and their general use by foraging frugivores in our area is poor. The phenological and experimental data are discussed with respect to avian use of multiple clues for locating fruit crops, what is known (or not known) about avian color vision, seed dispersal by nonavian consumers, spatial and temporal variability in avian consumption of fruits, the quality of seed dispersal, bicolored fruiting displays, and the need to examine alternate hypotheses.
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© 1986 Dr W. Junk Publishers, Dordrecht
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Willson, M.F., Hoppes, W.G. (1986). Foliar ‘flags’ for avian frugivores: signal or serendipity?. In: Estrada, A., Fleming, T.H. (eds) Frugivores and seed dispersal. Tasks for vegetation science, vol 15. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4812-9_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4812-9_6
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