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Hypothetical low-quality habitats can hold an overlooked conservation value. Some frugivorous mammals such as the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) disperse many viable seeds of fleshy-fruited shrubs along the verges of soft linear developments (SLD), such as trails and firebreaks. However, seed arrival does not guarantee plant recruitment, since several post-dispersal processes can alter seed rain. To examine whether SLD verges assist shrub recruitment and establishment, we compared the density and the structure of a community of Mediterranean shrubs between SLD verges and the adjacent scrubland.

Both seedlings and adult fleshy-fruited shrubs dispersed by foxes and rabbits reached higher densities along SLD verges than in the scrubland, suggesting SLD verges can be suitable habitats for shrub recruitment and establishment. Bird-dispersed shrubs showed a …