Unlocking fruit dimensions: Quantification of functional traits driving plant–frugivore interactions

Abstract Fleshy fruits attract animals to ingest fruit, swallow the seeds, and release them in the landscape, thus facilitating seed dispersal and plant regeneration. Attraction of animal dispersers is achieved via attractants such as color or scent, and rewards like sugars, lipids, and micronutrients. In addition to these attractants and rewards, a plethora of fruit and seed functional traits, including size, hardness, and chemistry, can affect the accessibility and attractiveness of fruits to seed‐dispersing animals. These functional traits form the interface between animals and fruits and, through trait matching, act as filters in dispersal networks. Yet, despite their critical roles in shaping seed dispersal networks, many fruit traits are not quantified in a standardized fashion, if they are quantified at all. As such, the existing databases of fruit traits used for syntheses lack many functional dimensions. We review the latest developments in fruit trait analysis, focusing on traits relevant for plant–frugivore interactions (i.e., morphology, color, chemistry), as well as some of their drivers (DNA, RNA, and microbial communities). We provide an overview of many existing methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and their application in field conditions.