Fruit Color Preference of Frugivorous Birds in an Agroecosystem in Southcentral Mindanao, Philippines.

Simple Summary: Plant–animal interactions play a crucial role in the functioning of ecosystems by promoting biodiversity, maintaining ecological balance, and facilitating the provision of resources for both fauna and humans. Failure to maintain these interactions could lead to numerous plant and animal species' inability to survive, potentially resulting in ecological imbalances. We examined the effects of fruit color and the local landscape on plant–bird interactions in an agroecosystem in Southcentral Mindanao, Philippines. Using artificial fruit models, we found that the proportion of predation and risk was significantly higher in the red fruit model (ripe fruits) compared to the green model (unripe fruits). Furthermore, birds were the dominant predators and were more likely to consume ripe fruits compared to unripe ones, compared to other predators such as mammals and arthropods. Our study showed that fruit color significantly promotes mutualistic interactions, especially for birds, within an agroecosystem. The removal of fruit is a consequence of plant–animal interactions, and is a vital step in the natural regeneration cycle of plant populations. This research aimed to determine the effect of fruit color and local landscape on plant–bird interactions in an agroecosystem in Southcentral Mindanao, Philippines. We set out 1500 artificial fruit models in ten sampling locations within an agroecosystem. We measured the difference in the proportion of predated/removed (%) fruit models and the risk between sites, fruit color, and predators. Approximately a quarter (24.53%) of the artificial fruit models deployed were predated, and the proportion of predation was significantly higher in the red fruit models (mean = 18.74 ± 9.84) compared to the green fruit models (mean = 11.67 ± 6.17). Birds were the most dominant predators compared to mammals and arthropods, and contributed to at least 60% of the predation of red fruits. Our findings are consistent with previous evidence showing birds' preferences for darker fruit colors. Although landscape variables did not significantly affect fruit predation, tree cover may help increase these interactions. Overall, our study showed that agroecosystems can still support species of frugivorous birds, as indicated by high fruit predation rates, particularly by birds that can permeate different layers of the agroecosystem. Our findings demonstrate an important implication for habitat quality management within agroecosystems. Enriching agroecosystems with pioneer trees with dark-colored fleshy fruits is a sustainable greening strategy that would benefit frugivores and producers in this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]