ABSTRACT The decline of medium‐ and large‐bodied terrestrial mammal populations can compromise key ecological processes such as seed dispersal. We conducted an exclusion experiment to simulate a defaunation gradient, monitoring the removal of 1800 seeds from six plant species of commercial interest in the Amazon Forest. Overall, mammal exclusion significantly reduced seed removal, particularly under severe exclusion conditions. However, this effect was species‐specific. Only Lecythis lurida , the species with the largest seeds, showed a significant reduction in removal under severe defaunation. Proechimys spp. interacted with most seeds in all experimental treatments, except for L. lurida , whose seeds were removed only by Dasyprocta croconota . While Proechimys spp. likely acts as a seed predator for all tested species, D. croconota can contribute to seed dispersal and consequently to the recruitment of a variety of plant species. Our findings reinforce that while defaunation impacts seed removal, its effects depend on plant traits and the identity of dispersers. The loss of terrestrial mammals may compromise long‐term plant recruitment, especially for species that rely on larger mammals for effective seed removal. The loss of ecological interactions may jeopardize the sustainable supply of timber and non‐timber products, directly affecting the income and food security of local traditional cooperatives in the Amazon.
Castro et al. (Fri,) studied this question.