Removal of Seeds of Exotic Jackfruit Trees (Artocarpus Heterophyllus, Moraceae) in Native Forest Areas with Predominance of Jackfruit Trees in the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve, Southeastern Brazil

This study examined the removal of seeds of the exotic jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus (Lamarck) by mammals in a native forest area with predominance of jackfruit trees in the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve, Southeastern Brazil. The seed removal experiments were made in an area with the predominance of jackfruit trees and in an native forest between January and October 2010. At each sampling area three distinct treatments (control: seeds that can be accessed by any species of mammals; semi-protected: seeds that can be accessed only by species of small mammals; and protected: seeds that can not be accessed by any species of mammals) were displayed containing seeds of A. heterophyllus. The area predominated by jackfruit trees showed a greater removal of seeds (35.6%) compared to the native forest (21.6%). The results showed that there was no significant difference in the amount of seeds removed from each area in the protected and control treatments. However, there was a higher seed removal in the semi-protected treatment in jackfruit trees area. In the native forest the removal was significantly higher in the control than in the other treatments. In the jackfruit trees area, the removal of seeds in the control was significantly higher than in the protected treatment. Of the species recorded by camera traps, Trinomys paratus can be considered the main disperser in the jackfruit area, contributing to the dispersal of A. heterophyllus, an invasive plant species. Thus, a management plan for A. heterophyllus at the Duas Bocas Biological Reserve should be carried out partially, gradually and slowly, so that the populations of vertebrate species that now depend on this resource for food do not suffer a drastic impact.