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Flying Foxes as Strong Interactors in South Pacific Island Ecosystems: A Conservation Hypothesis
Author(s) -
COX PAUL ALAN,
ELMQVIST THOMAS,
PIERSON ELIZABETH D.,
RAINEY WILLIAM E.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
conservation biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.2
H-Index - 222
eISSN - 1523-1739
pISSN - 0888-8892
DOI - 10.1111/j.1523-1739.1991.tb00351.x
Subject(s) - pollinator , ecology , geography , extinction (optical mineralogy) , biodiversity , pollination , fauna , ecosystem , biology , pollen , paleontology
Abstract: The dependency of highly endemic island floras on few potential pollinators in depauperate island faunas suggests that pollinators and seed dispersers may be crucial in the preservation of biodiversity in isolated oceanic islands. We discuss the hypothesis that flying foxes are “strong interactors” in South Pacific islands where they serve as the principal pollinators and seed dispersers, This suggests that the ongoing decline and ultimate extinction of flying fox species on Pacific islands may lead to a cascade of linked plant extinctions. We propose an empirical test of this hypothesis: comparisons of plant reproductive success in Guam, which has virtually lost its flying fox populations, and Samoa, where significant populations remain.