Forest Structure, Fruit Production and Frugivore Communities in Terra firme and Várzea Forests of the Médio Juruá

Floodplain forests comprise some of the defining and most enigmatic habitats of Western Amazonia. This chapter provides an overview of the multi-directional relationships between: forest structure and carbon stocks; fruit production and phenology; and frugivores and seed dispersal services, paying particular attention throughout to the role of the flood pulse by examining areas of adjacent varzea and terra firme forest. Examining the impact of the seasonal flood on plant communities and phenological patterns in fruit production, and the relative importance of different seed dispersal modes, helps interpret the respective frugivore communities of terra firme and varzea forests. Contrasting the differences found between these adjacent forest types adds an important perspective to the individual assessments of above-ground biomass, phenological patterns and fruit-frugivore interactions, and these multiple components also combine in speculation over the possible implications of an ‘empty flooded forest’. This research helps to address the shortage of such studies in Western Amazonia to date.