authors: Alys Granados, Henry Bernard, Jedediah Brodie
Masting events can dramatically affect animal populations and communities, but the extent to which anthropogenic disturbances alter animal responses to masting is not clear. In South‐East Asia, dipterocarp trees reproduce in mast fruiting events every 2–10 years in some of the largest masting events on the planet. These trees, however, are targeted for selective logging, reducing the intensity of fruit production and potentially affecting multiple trophic levels. We used camera traps to evaluate the influence of human‐induced habitat disturbance on bearded pig (Sus barbatus) responses to masting. Specifically, we quantified pig habitat use relative to variation in fruit biomass before (2013), during (2014), and after a major mast year (2015) in both logged and unlogged forests in Malaysian Borneo. Pigs exhibited clear responses to masting. Detections were highest in unlogged forest in the year following the major mast, suggesting that masting increased immigration or reproduction. We also detected local‐scale spatial tracking of dipterocarp fruits in unlogged forest. In contrast, responses to variation in fruit availability were limited in logged forest. Our findings suggest that bearded pigs may respond to masting via movement and increased reproduction, but that these responses may be attenuated by habitat disturbance.