Granivorous rodents have been traditionally regarded as antagonistic seed predators. Agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.), however, have also been recognized as mutualistic dispersers of plants because of their role as scatter-hoarders of seeds, especially for large-seeded species. A closer look shows that such definitions are too simplistic for these Neotropical animals because agoutis can influence plant communities not only through seed dispersal of large seeds but also through predation of small seeds and seedlings, evidencing their dual role. Herein, we summarize the literature on plant–agouti interactions, decompose agouti seed dispersal into its quantitative and qualitative components, and discuss how environmental factors and plant traits determine whether these interactions result in mutualisms or antagonisms. We also look at the role of agoutis in a community context, assessing their effectiveness as substitutes for extinct megafaunal frugivores and comparing their ecological functions to those of other extant dispersers of large seeds. We also discuss how our conclusions can be extended to the single other genus in the Dasyproctidae family (Myoprocta). Finally, we examine agoutis’ contribution to carbon stocks and summarize current conservation threats and efforts. We recorded 164 interactions between agoutis and plants, which were widespread across the plant phylogeny, confirming that agoutis are generalist frugivores. Seed mass was a main factor determining seed hoarding probability of plant species and agoutis were found to disperse larger seeds than other large-bodied frugivores. Agoutis positively contributed to carbon storage by preying upon seeds of plants with lower carbon biomass and by dispersing species with higher biomass. This synthesis of plant–agouti interactions shows that ecological services provided by agoutis to plant populations and communities go beyond seed dispersal and predation, and we identify still unanswered questions. We hope to emphasise the importance of agoutis in Neotropical forests.

中文翻译：

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播种森林：刺鼠种子传播和捕食的综合及其对植物群落的影响

食肉啮齿动物传统上被认为是敌对的种子捕食者。刺鼠（Dasyprocta ）然而，spp.）也被认为是植物的互惠传播者，因为它们作为种子的分散囤积者，特别是对于大种子物种。仔细观察表明，对于这些新热带动物来说，这样的定义过于简单，因为刺鼠不仅可以通过大种子的种子传播，还可以通过捕食小种子和幼苗来影响植物群落，证明了它们的双重作用。在此，我们总结了有关植物-刺鼠相互作用的文献，将刺鼠种子传播分解为其数量和质量成分，并讨论环境因素和植物性状如何决定这些相互作用是否导致互惠或拮抗。我们还研究了刺鼠在社区环境中的作用，评估它们作为已灭绝的巨型食果动物替代品的有效性，并将它们的生态功能与其他现存的大种子传播者的生态功能进行比较。我们还讨论了我们的结论如何可以扩展到 Dasyproctidae 家族中的其他单一属（肌直肠）。最后，我们检查了刺鼠对碳储量的贡献，并总结了当前的保护威胁和努力。我们记录了刺鼠和植物之间的 164 种相互作用，这些相互作用在植物系统发育中广泛存在，证实了刺鼠是多面食果动物。种子质量是决定植物物种的种子囤积概率的主要因素，并且发现刺鼠比其他体型大的食果动物散布更大的种子。Agoutis 通过捕食具有较低碳生物量的植物种子和分散具有较高生物量的物种，对碳储存做出了积极贡献。这种植物-刺鼠相互作用的综合表明刺鼠为植物种群和群落提供的生态服务超越了种子传播和捕食，我们发现了仍未解决的问题。