Fruit traits have the potential to influence disperser communities and vice versa. Elevational gradients, where functional traits are known to change rapidly with distance, enable the study of these relationships at local scales. In this pilot study, we examine the trends in three fruit traits related to dispersal by frugivores: size, colour and presentation (i.e., location of displayed fruits on the trunk or on the branches) along a 200-2700 m asl rainforest elevation gradient in Papua New Guinea. We found fruit size to be lower at higher elevations. While specific fruit colours showed few significant elevational patterns, colours typically attributed to attracting avian dispersers were more prevalent at higher elevations. The proportion of ramiflorous species (bearing fruits from branches) increased with elevation. Finally, we use phylogenetic information to test the 'dispersal syndromes' hypothesis: that combinations of fruit traits have evolved in accordance with the preferences and sensory abilities of different frugivore guilds. All fruit traits except presentation showed little evidence of phylogenetic signal but we found fruits displaying colours attributed to attracting mammalian dispersers to be larger than 'bird colour' fruits. We found evidence for the correlated evolution of fruit size and colour, in support of the dispersal syndromes hypothesis. We encourage research at larger scales of time and space to further explore the relationships between fruit traits and frugivores, across elevational and other ecological gradients.

Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences Institute of Entomology Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

Faculty of Sciences University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Project Office in Conservation and Environment Protection Authority Port Moresby Papua New Guinea

National Research and Innovation Agency KST B J Habibie Puspiptek Tangerang Indonesia

New Guinea Binatang Research Centre Nagada Harbour Madang Papua New Guinea

School of Life Sciences University of Sussex Falmer UK

Science Research Initiative College of Science University of Utah Salt Lake City Utah USA

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figshare
10.6084/m9.figshare.30043075.v1