The Austral parakeet (Enicognathus ferrugineous) is one of the main seed dispersers of Araucaria araucana, a threatened species. However, livestock and exotic species consume almost the whole seed production in non-masting years. This situation, along with the disappearance of native plant species, force Austral parakeets to feed on crops, with the risk of being considered a harmful species by farmers.

Organisms interact with each other in very different ways. These interactions include, among many others, those established between prey and predators, hosts and parasites, and plant roots and beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. Plants also interact among them, competing for resources (e.g., water, light or nutrients) or creating a favorable environment (e.g., shade) that facilitates the establishment and survival of seedlings from other species. Although classic ecological studies have profoundly...

Species on Earth are interconnected with each other through ecological interactions. Defaunation can erode those connections, yet we lack evolutionary predictions about the consequences of losing interactions in human-modified ecosystems. Here, the fate of the evolutionary history of avian–seed dispersal interactions across tropical forest fragments is quantified.

Parasites and other symbionts are crucial components of ecosystems, regulating host populations and supporting food webs. However, most symbiont systems, especially those involving commensals and mutualists, are relatively poorly understood. In this study, the nature of the symbiotic relationship between birds and their most abundant and diverse ectosymbionts, the vane?dwelling feather mites, has been investigated.