INTRODUCTION

The study of frugivore feeding ecology is an important part of tropical biology because frugivores are among the predominant groups of tropical vertebrates in terms of species diversity and biomass. Fluctuating resource availabilities throughout the year dictate, for most frugivores, variable diets that may include leaves, fruits, flowers and seeds, as well as animal matter. Identifying food plant taxa and parts eaten is a central part of this research, and these tasks can be quite complicated when one is studying canopy-living animals in regions with diverse flora. The primary sources of information on these diets are accurate, detailed observation of feeding behaviours, the collection and classification of feeding remains, and faecal contents analysis.

Frugivores such as primates are often described as important ecological interactors (mutualists) because of their role as seed dispersers. To date, however, few studies have documented clearly the actual importance of these animals to the fleshy fruited plants on which they feed. Studying plant and animal strategies simultaneously is no simple task, but doing so provides new perspectives on botany, feeding ecology, digestive physiology, co-evolution and plant–animal interdependence, which may provide valuable tools for conservation. Particularly in the tropics, the study of endozoochory remains one area in which the dedicated natural historian still has much to reveal to the world of science. For these reasons, frugivory and seed dispersal remain topics ripe for exploration.