In this study of a lowland tropical forest in north-east India we
scale up to explore tree-frugivore dynamics at the community level,
and to identify potential mechanisms that lead to the observed
patterns in tree community dynamics in logged habitats. Large sections
of the forest across this landscape were historically subjected
to logging. In this study, we use forest areas recovering from past
logging and intact forests in protected areas as ‘treatments’ from
a natural experiment to examine logging impacts. As in other tropical
forests, hunting was also a feature of this landscape and is
likely to have occurred more in logged areas. Given this history,
we note that it is not possible to clearly separate the effects of
hunting versus logging on the unprotected forests in this region.
To minimize this confounding effect, we chose logged regions
where hunting bans have been effectively enforced for the past
few decades (see Section 2).