To define the chances of a dispersed seed to produce a new recruit, it is essential to consider all stages of the dispersal process. Howler monkeys are recognized to have positive impacts on forest regeneration, acting as primary dispersers. Furthermore, dung beetles attracted to their feces protect the seeds against predators, and provide a better microenvironment for germination due to the removal of fecal matter, to seed burial, and/or by reducing the spatial aggregation of seeds in fecal clumps. Despite the recognized positive effects of primary seed dispersal through defecation by howler monkeys for plant recruitment, there are some important aspects of their behavior, such as the habit of defecating in latrines, that remain to be explored. Here, we investigated the fate of Campomanesia xanthocarpa seeds defecated by brown howlers, Alouatta guariba clamitans, and the secondary seed dispersal by dung beetles, considering how this process is affected by the monkey's defecation patterns. We found that brown howler monkeys dispersed seeds from several species away from fruit-feeding trees, partly because defecation under the canopy of such trees was not very frequent. Instead, most defecations were associated with latrines under overnight sleeping trees. Despite a very similar dung beetle community attracted to howler feces in latrines and fruit-feeding sites, seeds were more likely to be buried when deposited in latrines. In addition, C. xanthocarpa seeds showed higher germination and establishment success in latrines, but this positive effect was not due to the presence of fecal matter surrounding seeds. Our results highlight that A. guariba clamitans acts as a legitimate seed disperser of C. xanthocarpa seeds in a preserved context of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and that defecations in latrines increase the dispersal effectiveness.

中文翻译：

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将吼猴范围和排便模式与初级和次级种子传播联系起来

要确定分散的种子产生新成员的机会，必须考虑分散过程的所有阶段。吼猴被认为对森林再生具有积极影响，是主要的传播者。此外，被粪便吸引的蜣螂保护种子免受捕食者侵害，并通过去除粪便、埋葬种子和/或减少粪便团块中种子的空间聚集，为发芽提供更好的微环境。尽管吼猴通过排便进行初级种子传播对植物募集具有公认的积极影响，但它们行为的一些重要方面，例如在厕所中排便的习惯，仍有待探索。在这里，我们调查了Campomanesia xanthocarpa的命运考虑到这一过程如何受到猴子排便模式的影响，棕色吼猴、Alouatta guariba clamitans排便的种子，以及粪甲虫的二次种子传播。我们发现棕色吼猴将几个物种的种子从以果实为食的树木中散开，部分原因是在这些树木的树冠下排便并不频繁。相反，大多数排便与通宵睡觉的树下的厕所有关。尽管有一个非常相似的蜣螂群落被厕所和水果喂养地点的嚎叫粪便所吸引，但种子存放在厕所中时更有可能被掩埋。此外，C. xanthocarpa种子在厕所中表现出更高的发芽和建立成功率，但这种积极影响并不是由于种子周围存在粪便。我们的研究结果强调A. guariba clamitans在巴西大西洋森林的保存环境中充当C. xanthocarpa种子的合法种子传播者，并且厕所中的排便增加了传播效果。