Mast-fruiting is the intermittent and synchronous production of large fruitsby a population of plants at long intervals (Herrera et al. 1998, Kelly 1994).Several hypotheses have been proposed concerning the adaptive advantages ofmast-fruiting (Janzen 1971, 1974; Kelly 1994), and some field observations haveprovided evidence for these hypotheses (Norton & Kelly 1988, Shibata et al.1998, Sork 1993). The predator-satiation hypothesis is one well-known explanation for reproductive synchrony in plants and animals (Janzen 1971, 1974; Kelly1994). This hypothesis claims that mast fruiting at irregular intervals of severalyears is an effective means of satiating vertebrate fruit predators: low seedproduction can only support low densities of predators during the periodsbetween mast-fruiting events, but more fruits are produced than predators canconsume in masting years (Janzen 1971, Kelly 1994). Thus, it may be said thatmast-fruiting is a defence strategy of plants against post-dispersal vertebratefruit predators.
