2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Predicting the threshold of functional extinction: The effect of the population density of seed disperser on the plant community of the islands, the Ryukyu archipelago
| Project/Area Number |
26870461
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Research Field |
Conservation of biological resources
Ecology/Environment
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| Research Institution | Okayama University of Science (2016)
University of the Ryukyus (2014-2015) |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
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| Keywords | オオコウモリ / 機能的絶滅 / 種子散布 / 送粉 / 植物群集 / 分布 / 琉球列島 / 島嶼生態系 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
The goal of this study is to estimate the threshold of functional extinction using changing relationships between mutualists (a seed disperser and their food plants). On 58 islands of the Ryukyu archipelago, the density of the Ryukyu flying foxes and their food plants were estimated. Furthermore, I conducted the literature survey about flora on each island of the archipelago. The absence of bats on a given island was basically occurred in northern islands away from the tropical zone, which is the original distribution area of flying fox species. No obvious relationships between the distribution patterns of fruit bats and Ficus species with large fruits and Mucuna macrocarpa, which is expected to have a strong relationship was found. On the contrary, we found the match between the distribution patterns of bats and two plants (Terminalia catappa and Diospyros maritima), suggesting that these plants may strongly depend on the seed dispersal by bats.
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| Free Research Field |
動物生態学
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