Following the extinction of Madagascar’s megafauna, including giant lemurs and elephant birds, the dispersal of many large-fruited plants may have been disrupted. My PhD research explores the ecology and evolution of these ‘megafruits’ by combining fruit and seed functional traits, human use, and species distributions to understand the factors shaping their persistence. In addition, I focus on a megafruit palm species as a case study, evaluating whether seed dispersal persists despite the loss of its primary disperser. My work will provide new insights into the consequences of megafaunal extinction and human use for Madagascar’s megafruits, helping to identify species most vulnerable to dispersal limitation and inform conservation priorities.
Keywords
Madagascar, Megafaunal extinction, Megafruits, Functional Traits, Seed Dispersal, Human use, Plant Ecology, Geographic range size.