Toucans, one of the most iconic jungle birds, play a larger role than scientists previously predicted in promoting rain forest growth. The bird, known for it's large colorful beak, is able to help spread the seeds of one particular tree species known as the jucara, and played a pivotal role in establishing the Brazilian rain forest's landscape, according to a recent study.
Many trees depend on creatures such as birds to eat their seeds, then later defecate them in other locations to spread the species to new places. The jucara palm tree has larger seeds than many birds can handle. The marble-sized fruit within the jucara's fruit needs a larger carrier to be able to spread their seeds around. That is where the toucans come in, according to a new article in Science journal and NPR. Mauro Galetti, a biologist at the Estadual Paulista University in Brazil who studied the process concluded that toucans gave the jucara the ability to become the dominant tree species in the Brazilian rain forest.
"These large birds, they have an extremely important role in the forest...not only because they disperse seeds, but because they disperse large seeds."
However, this process is at risk. Humans are rapidly encroaching on the Brazilian Atlantic coastal forests. The combination of logging, hunting, and farming has caused the toucan population to decline, and with it the jucara is unable to spread as it once did. This has lead to smaller seed versions of jucara to become the dominant jungle tree. This means that mankind has directly caused the genetic shift of a species in about a century.
Unfortunately, the smaller seed jucara trees are not as sturdy as the large seeded trees, meaning that the rain forest will continue to shrink as the region becomes deforested. Scientists now know that the toucan is the key to helping the rain forest survive and thrive again. Not bad for a bird most people know as a cereal mascot.
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