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The Importance of Plant-Bird Mutualisms in the Temperate Rainforest of Southern South America

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High-Latitude Rainforests and Associated Ecosystems of the West Coast of the Americas

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 116))

Abstract

In the Neotropies, numerous nectar- and fruit-eating birds engage in loose mutualisms with plants that provide them with food (Feinsinger, 1983, 1987; Snow, 1981). While feeding on the fruit pulp or flower nectar, the birds act as seed dispersers or pollinators. These relationships contribute significantly to species diversity in many tropical forests (Gentry, 1982; Stiles, 1985).

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Authors
  1. Juan J. Armesto
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  2. Cecilia Smith-Ramírez
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  3. Carlos Sabag
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Global Programs, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1100 Wayne Avenue, 20920-5603, Silver Spring, MD, USA

    Richard G. Lawford

  2. Laboratory of Ecology, Catholic University, Castilla 114-D, Santiago, Chile

    Eduardo Fuentes

  3. School of Forestry, Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, University of Montana, 59812-1063, Missoula, MT, USA

    Paul B. Alaback

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag New York, Inc.

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Armesto, J.J., Smith-Ramírez, C., Sabag, C. (1996). The Importance of Plant-Bird Mutualisms in the Temperate Rainforest of Southern South America. In: Lawford, R.G., Fuentes, E., Alaback, P.B. (eds) High-Latitude Rainforests and Associated Ecosystems of the West Coast of the Americas. Ecological Studies, vol 116. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3970-3_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3970-3_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8453-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3970-3

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