In abandoned pastures where the seed bank of forest species has been depleted
and a seedling bank does not exist, dispersal events are the only source of forest seeds for natural regeneration (Gómez-Pompa & Vázquez-Yanes 1981). Lack of dispersal has been reported as an important limitation for rain-forest regeneration in pastures (Hardwick et al. 1997 in Thailand; Holl 1999 in Costa Rica; Nepstad et al. 1990 in Brazil) or colonization of fallow land (Kollmann 1995). A high percentage of tropical plant species have fleshy fruits that are dispersed by birds and flying and terrestrial mammals (Howe & Smallwood 1982, Snow 1981). In this study we report the spatial distribution of fleshy-fruited species dispersed to tropical pastures at different distances from the vegetation border in 12 tropical pastures as a measure of the instant regenerative potential of these sites.
