The diets of frugivorous animals result from the interaction between feeding preference and ecological factors such as availability of alternative resources and interactions with other frugivores. A better understanding of frugivore diets will enable predictions about the vulnerability of plant populations to anthropogenic or natural environmental changes. In addition, frugivores with greater variation in diet (generalists) are potentially more resilient to habitat changes than specialists. Here, we combined data on diets of frugivorous fishes with visual censuses on fruit availability to evaluate if fishes are selective or opportunistic in their use of fruits in floodplain habitats. We found a high diversity of fruit species (74 species) frequently consumed by four common species of frugivorous fishes during the flooding season. The identity of preferred fruits, rather than their availability, had a stronger effect on the patterns of fruit consumed by fishes in this system. Fruit preferences by fish may influence the long‐term persistence and the maintenance of plant diversity in floodplain habitats. Possible disturbances of fish populations with selective consumption and the plant populations on which they depend could increase the vulnerability of both populations involved. Thus, selectivity may affect ecological and evolutionary processes associated with frugivory by fish.

中文翻译：

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新热带洪泛区鱼类对水果的偏爱

食肉动物的饮食是由于进食偏好与生态因素之间的相互作用而产生的，例如替代资源的可获得性以及与其他食肉动物的相互作用。对节食动物饮食的更好理解将使人们能够预测植物种群对人为或自然环境变化的脆弱性。此外，饮食变化较大的节食动物（通才）可能比专家更能适应生境变化。在这里，我们将食肉鱼类的饮食数据与水果可获得性的视觉普查相结合，以评估鱼类在洪泛区栖息地中使用水果是选择性的还是机会性的。我们发现在洪灾季节，四种常见的食肉鱼类经常食用多种水果（74种）。首选水果的身份，而不是其可用性，对该系统中鱼类食用的水果的模式有更强的影响。鱼对水果的偏好可能会影响洪泛区生境的长期持久性和植物多样性的维持。有选择地消费的鱼类种群及其所依赖的植物种群可能受到的干扰可能会增加所涉两个种群的脆弱性。因此，选择性可能影响与鱼类节食有关的生态和进化过程。有选择地消费的鱼类种群及其所依赖的植物种群可能受到的干扰可能会增加所涉两个种群的脆弱性。因此，选择性可能影响与鱼类节食有关的生态和进化过程。有选择地消费的鱼类种群及其所依赖的植物种群可能受到的干扰可能会增加所涉两个种群的脆弱性。因此，选择性可能影响与鱼类节食有关的生态和进化过程。