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Although frugivory interactions are well documented at local scales, we still know relatively little about how network structure varies across biogeographic regions, particularly in equatorial lowland forests. In this study, we compare frugivory networks in lowland forests in the Guiana Shield (South America), Malaysia (Southeast Asia), and Central Africa (Gabon and Cameroon). Because these sites occur at similar latitudes, they provide a useful setting to examine how evolutionary history and biogeographic context, rather than climate alone, might shape the structure of the network. We analyze patterns across regions, focusing on implications for frugivory interactions and, ultimately, seed dispersal. Guided by the Integrative Hypothesis of Specialization (IHS), we focus on the role of megafauna and other large-bodied frugivores, which are important consumers of large fruits and dispersers of large seeds, and have experienced different historical trajectories in each continent. We also considered whether smaller frugivores, such as rodents, might partially compensate for the loss of Megafauna in the Americas through seed handling and caching behavior. The pantropical comparison revealed structural and functional differences between the studied frugivory networks. In the Guianas, lacking megafauna, the frugivory network showed strong modularity with nestedness within modules, forming a marked compound topology. Alternatively, in Central Africa, with elephants and great apes, the network showed intermediate modularity and nestedness, reflecting a balance between local compartmentalization and regional integration. Finally, in Malaysia, the network was predominantly nested, with a few highly connected species, especially figs and flying foxes, that linked most of the partners. Across continents, frugivory networks tend toward a compound topology, but the relative influence of modular and nested components shifts with biogeography, evolution, and ecology.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.08.12.744530","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,14]],"date-time":"2026-08-14T01:50:14Z","timestamp":1786672214000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Biogeographic history and megafauna shape frugivory interaction networks across equatorial forests"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"G","family":"Cl\u00e9ment","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut d\u2019\u00c9cologie et des Sciences de l\u2019Environnement de Paris (iEES Paris), Sorbonne Universit\u00e9, 75005 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"N","family":"Lotfi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"L","family":"Ong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, Yunnan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"A","family":"Campos-Arceiz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, Yunnan, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"F","family":"Bretagnolle","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biog\u00e9osciences, CNRS UMR 6282, Universit\u00e9 Bourgogne Europe, 6 Boulevard Gabriel, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"KR","family":"McConkey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Jalan Broga, Selangor, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"R","family":"Thomachot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institut d\u2019\u00c9cologie et des Sciences de l\u2019Environnement de Paris (iEES Paris), Sorbonne Universit\u00e9, 75005 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9098-9427","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"MAR","family":"Mello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Ecology, Institute of Biosciences, University of S\u00e3o Paulo, 05508-090 S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"P-M","family":"Forget","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"M\u00e9canismes Adaptatifs & \u00c9volution (MECADEV), Mus\u00e9um National d\u2019Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, 75005 Paris, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"54368","reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25","DOI":"10.1002\/inc3.9","article-title":"Threatened species are disproportionately important interactors in a seed dispersal network in southeast asia","volume":"1","year":"2022","journal-title":"Integrative Conservation"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.0030-1299.2008.16644.x"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1095-8339.2012.01289.x"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3732\/ajb.1500463"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1633576100"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1098\/rsos.140536"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-ecolsys-102320-104739"},{"issue":"4","key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"521","DOI":"10.1111\/ecog.02104","article-title":"Phylogenetic composition and structure of tree communities shed light on historical processes influencing tropical rainforest diversity","volume":"40","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ecography"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fevo.2022.790883"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/284316"},{"key":"2026081812150496000_2026.08.12.744530v2.11","unstructured":"G\u00e1bor Cs\u00e1rdi and Tam\u00e1s Nepusz . 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