Journal Article
Climate Predicts Tree Dispersal Strategies Across Brazil's Ecosystems
Fernanda C. Souza; Vinícius Andrade Maia; Renata Françoso; Matheus Coutinho Freitas de Oliveira; Ana Beatriz Ligo; Bruno X. Pinho; Jesús Aguirre‐Gutiérrez; Martin Sullivan; Larissa Rocha‐Santos; Laura de Brito Évora; Leonardo de Sousa Miranda; María Natalia Umaña; Pablo R. Stevenson; Paulo Amador Tavares; Adriane Esquivel‐Muelbert; Alan Bernardes da Silveira; Ana Magalhães Cordeiro Teixeira; Ângelo Gilberto Manzatto; Átila Oliveira; Aurora Levesley; Beatriz Schwantes Marimon; Ben Hur Marimon Junior; Carlos Joly; Carlos A. Peres; Carolina V. Castilho; Celice Alexandre Silva; Danielle Storck‐Tonon; Domingos Cardoso; Domingos de Jesus Rodrigues; Dora M. Villela; Douglas C. Morton; Eddie Lenza de Oliveira; Edmar Almeida de Oliveira; Eduardo Hase; Eliana Ramos; Elmar Veenendaal; Erika Berenguer; Estelle Dugachard; Everton Almeida; Fabrício Alvim Carvalho; Fernanda Coelho de Souza; Fernando Elias; Filipe M. França; Flávia R. C. Costa; Flávia Delgado Santana; Flávia Rodrigues Barbosa; Foster Brown; Françoise Yoko Ishida; Frederico Augusto Guimarães Guilherme; Gabriel Damasco; Georgia Pickavance; Geraldo Wilson Fernandes; Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima; Helena Lemos Rocha; Henrique A. Mews; Iêda Leão do Amaral; Igor Broggio; Jarcilene Silva de Almeida; John E. B. L. Cunha; Jhonathan Oliveira Silva; Joice Ferreira; Jorcely G. Barroso; Jose Ataliba Mantelli Aboim Gomes; José Roberto Rodrigues Pinto; Juliana Schietti; Karina Melgaço; Laura B.Vedovato; Leandro V. Ferreira; Letícia Fernandes da Silva; Lilian Blanc; Lilian Gomes da Silva Rocha; Lola da Costa; Lucas José Mazzei de Freitas; Luciana F. Alves; Luciano Paganucci de Queiroz; Luiz E. O. C. Aragão; Magna Soelma Beserra de Moura; Maíra Benchimol; Marcelo Brilhante de Medeiros; Marcelo Fragomeni Simon; Marcelo T. Nascimento; Marcos José Salgado Vital; Marcos Silveira; Maria A. Carniello; Maria das Dores Magalhães Veloso; Mário Marcos do Espírito Santo; Maryane B. T. Andrade; Milton Serpa de Meira Junior; Nayane C. C. S. Prestes; Oliver L. Phillips; Patrícia Corrêa Guedes de Souza; Paulo Eduardo Barni; Paulo S. Morandi; Peter Moonlight; Philip Fearnside; Plinio Sist; Priscyla Maria Silva Rodrigues; Queila S. Garcia; Rafael F. Ramos; Rainiellen de Sá Carpanedo; Reinaldo Imbrozio Barbosa; Ricardo de Oliveira Perdiz; Richarlly da Costa Silva; Robson dos Santos Alves da Silva; Rodolfo Souza; Rubens Manoel dos Santos; Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro; Samuel de Padua Chaves e Carvalho; Sílvia da Luz Lima Mota; Simone Aparecida Vieira; Simone Matias de Almeida Reis; Ted R. Feldpausch; Tereza Sposito; Thaiane Rodrigues de Sousa; Thiago Metzker; Tiina Särkinen; Toby A. Garder; Toby Pennington; Tomas F. Domingues; Tony César de Sousa Oliveira; Vitor de Andrade Kamimura; Wendeson Castro; Wesley Jonatar Alves da Cruz; William E. Magnusson; Yadvinder Malhi; Yvonne V. Bakker; Jos Barlow
Global Ecology and Biogeography · Vol. 35, Issue 7 · 2026
Abstract
Aim We investigate the distribution of dispersal modes — endozoochory (via animal ingestion), synzoochory (via animal seed accumulation) and anemochory (via wind)—and seed mass of woody plants across Brazilian ecosystems, testing whether their relative abundance in local plant communities could be predicted by climate, edaphic factors and dispersal agents (e.g., the main vectors moving seeds). We expected climate to be the main predictor of dispersal strategy abundance. Location Brazilian ecosystems (Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Caatinga). Time Period 2004–2020. Major Taxa Studied Woody angiosperms, trees and shrubs. Methods We assigned seed mass to 1984 species and dispersal mode to 2203 species within 300 old‐growth and non‐flooded plots. We employed Random Forest regressions to assess the influence of water availability, temperature seasonality, soil fertility, wind and frugivorous primates on the community‐weighted means of seed mass and dispersal modes. We mapped predictions and estimated the area of applicability to identify regions where predictions were reliable. Results Climate was the main factor predicting tree dispersal strategies, followed by dispersal agents or soil properties. Endozoochory was prevalent in wetter regions with high water availability and greater diurnal temperature range. Anemochory was more common in drier regions with low water availability, stronger winds and greater diurnal temperature range, whereas synzoochory was more abundant in areas with low temperature seasonality. Heavier seeds were more prevalent in regions with less seasonal temperatures, smaller diurnal temperature ranges and weaker winds. Main Conclusions Climate is a key predictor of the distribution and prevalence of plants with contrasting dispersal modes and seed masses. We thus expect functional responses to environmental change associated with shifts in the relative abundance of dispersal strategies, with implications for ecosystem services. Our results also highlight the critical role of plot‐based datasets in improving our understanding of how environmental factors influence seed dispersal strategies across tropical ecosystems.