Lemur extinctions 'orphaned' some Madagascar plant species

[sue4e3]

The extinction of several species of large lemurs in Madagascar has created isolated "orphaned" plant species that once depended upon the animals to eat and disperse their large seeds, a Yale-led survey has found.

These large-seeded plant species face an uncertain future without lemurs capable of eating and dispersing their seeds, according to Yale's Sarah Federman, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and lead author of the study published the week of April 11 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"We need to understand the impacts of past extinction events or we cannot adequately design conservation plans for the future,'' Federman said.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-04-lemur-extinctions-orphaned-madagascar-species.html#jCp

[eppur_se_muova]

1. Same thing happened with the Dodo.

Their large beaks enabled them to crack big, hard nuts which other species couldn't. With the Dodo gone, these species dwindled.

[NickB79]

2. Giant lemurs were the size of gorillas

They undoubtedly helped disperse seeds via their dung. It only went extinct in 350 BC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeoindris

And lets not forget the giant elephant birds and pygmy hippos that also once inhabited the island. All gone now, sadly.