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Many plants benefit from seed dispersal by frugivorous animals. This mutualistic interaction depends largely on interaction‐relevant matching of functional traits (i.e. fruit size of plants and gape size of frugivores). With declines in large‐bodied animal populations, it is likely that fruit–frugivore interactions have eroded, leading to the loss of seed dispersal of large‐fruited plants. Such erosion could be especially evident in vulnerable island ecosystems such as those in the Caribbean, where most large‐bodied frugivore populations have collapsed due to human activities. Here, we aim to understand the consequences of this decline by first quantifying gaps in frugivory function between common, smaller frugivores (birds, smaller reptiles, and bats) and rarer or regionally extinct, larger reptiles (Cyclura spp. and Chelonoidis spp.) in the Caribbean archipelagos. We then assess the benefits of reestablishing these interactions by determining the effects of large reptile ingestion on seed germination for 10 fruiting species, representing a range of fruit sizes, native to the Caribbean. We found that there are significant gaps in frugivory function, with smaller frugivores having many times smaller mean gape sizes than larger reptiles. Furthermore, we found that most fruiting species used in this study could germinate after being consumed by large reptiles, with two species having their germination speed significantly accelerated post‐ingestion. These results indicate that fruiting plants could benefit from reestablishing frugivorous interactions between larger reptiles and fruiting plants. Given the existing gap in frugivory function, additional attention should be given to the possibility of rewilding defaunated islands to restore plant–frugivore networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biodiversity inventories contain important information about species richness, community structure, and composition, and are the first step in developing any conservation and mitigation strategies. The Atlantic Forest of South America is home to around 334 species of small‐, medium‐, and large‐sized mammals, and is currently restricted to less than 12% of its original cover. Here, we present the ATLANTIC MAMMALS, an open data set on information on medium‐ and large‐sized mammal assemblages in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. A total of 129 studies were compiled, including published and in press peer‐reviewed papers, book chapters, theses and unpublished data. We mapped 244 assemblages, eight orders, 63 genera, and 94 species (24 of which are classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List) distributed in 128 protected and 116 unprotected areas. Species richness of the mammalian assemblages varied from 1 to 39 species (mean 15). The most recorded species in the entire biome was Dasypus novemcinctus, followed by Cerdocyon thous and Procyon cancrivorous. These data can be useful in support of macroecological studies and conservation planning strategies. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]