A meta-analysis of the effect of gut treatment on seed germination.

Traveset, Anna; Verdú, Miguel; Levey, Douglas J.; Silva, W. R.; Galetti, Mauro

doi:10.1079/9780851995250.0339

Cited by 189 publications

(299 citation statements)

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“…High germinability is necessary to maximize the reproductive success and seedling recruitment (Harper 1977). In general, passage through the gut of a vertebrate causes the ingested seeds to germinate in higher number and in less time than non-ingested seeds (Traveset & Verdú 2002). There are at least three mechanisms responsible for this situation: the removal of pulp that could reduce or prevent germination (Barnea et al 1991, Meyer & Witmer 1998 Seeds obtained from intestinal content in necropsy of marked animal that was hit by a car.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential seed dispersal by Didelphis albiventris (Marsupialia, Didelphidae) in highly disturbed environment

et al. 2010

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Potential seed dispersal by Didelphis albiventris (Marsupialia, Didelphidae) in highly disturbed environment. Biota Neotrop. 10(2): http://www.biotaneotropica. org.br/v10n2/en/abstract?article+bn00610022010.Abstract: Urban forests are usually isolated and highly disturbed, however they are important shelters for tolerant animal species. Their food habits expose the different ecological roles these animals perform in the habitat. We analyzed the contribution of Didelphis albiventris Lund (1840), as a seed disperser, to the vegetation renewal of an urban forest fragment, describing its frugivorous diet and testing the viability of ingested seeds. Both male and female of white-eared opossum included a vast variety of items in their diet, mainly invertebrates and fruits. Fruits were consumed during all year round and seasonality was not observed. The majority of consumed fruits was from pioneer plant species, which is common in disturbed areas, in accordance to the opossum's opportunistic habits. The viability of ingested seeds, evaluated by linear logistic regression models applied to data from germination tests, was different of the seeds collected directly from ripe fruits; it varied among species, maybe due to the intrinsic characteristics of plant species. As a highly generalist species, D. albiventris can inhabit disturbed environments and then disperse seeds from pioneer plants, where the vegetation must be restored. It is crucial that this process does not depend only on the specialist frugivores, which are frequently absent in urban forest fragments. Therefore, the presence of generalist species of secondary environments has its importance emphasized. Resumo: Florestas urbanas são geralmente isoladas e altamente degradadas; contudo são importantes abrigos para espécies de animais tolerantes. Os hábitos alimentares destes animais explicitam os diferentes papéis ecológicos que eles desempenham no hábitat. Nós analisamos a contribuição de Didelphis albiventris Lund (1840) como dispersor de sementes para a regeneração da vegetação de um fragmento florestal urbano. Para isso, descrevemos sua dieta frugívora e testamos a viabilidade das sementes por ele ingeridas. Tanto machos quanto fêmeas de gambá-de-orelha-branca incluiram uma grande variedade de itens alimentares na dieta, principalmente invertebrados e frutos. Frutos foram consumidos durante todo o ano e a sazonalidade não foi observada. A maioria das sementes defecadas era proveniente de plantas pioneiras, comuns em ambientes perturbados, o que concorda com seu hábito oportunista. A viabilidade das sementes ingeridas, verificada mediante modelos de regressão logística linear aplicada a dados de testes de germinação, foi diferente das sementes obtidas de frutos maduros e variou entre espécies, talvez devido a características intrínsecas da planta. Enquanto uma espécie generalista, D. albiventris é capaz de habitar ambientes perturbados, e dispersar as sementes de plantas de estágio inicial de sucessão, onde a vegetação necessita ser restaurada. É essencial q...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential seed dispersal by Didelphis albiventris (Marsupialia, Didelphidae) in highly disturbed environment

et al. 2010

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“…When didelphids accelerate seed germination (as in the case of C. urceolata), ingested seeds germinate in higher proportions than do non-ingested seeds, probably as a result of seed coat scarification (Robertson et al 2006;Lessa & Cáceres 2012). Many factors related both to the intrinsic plant and disperser traits may influence the outcomes of seed passage through the digestive tract of potential vertebrate dispersers (Traveset & Verdú 2002;Rodrigues-Peréz et al 2005), such as seed size, fruit color, experimental conditions, disperser taxon, habitat structure and vegetation composition, or a combination of such factors (Traveset & Verdu 2002;Cantor et al 2010;Cáceres & Lessa 2012). All these factors, together or alone, can explain the differences observed between the germination of seeds found in the samples and the control group.…”

Section: Germinabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the apparent advantages of seed dispersal is the increase in the rate of germination of the seeds ingested by vertebrate dispersers (Traveset & Verdú 2002). However, recent studies have shown that this increase is not universal and that a myriad of factors intrinsic to the plant or the type of seed disperser may influence the outcome after seed passage through the digestive tract of the disperser (Traveset & Verdú 2002;Cantor et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the plant, seed dispersal by animals increases the likelihood of offspring survival by facilitating the removal of the seeds away from the zone of high mortality near the parent plant as well as conquering new environments potentially favorable for seed germination and seedling development (Janzen 1970;Howe et al 1985;Howe 1993). One of the apparent advantages of seed dispersal is the increase in the rate of germination of the seeds ingested by vertebrate dispersers (Traveset & Verdú 2002). However, recent studies have shown that this increase is not universal and that a myriad of factors intrinsic to the plant or the type of seed disperser may influence the outcome after seed passage through the digestive tract of the disperser (Traveset & Verdú 2002;Cantor et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of gut passage on the germination of seeds ingested by didelphid marsupials in a neotropical savanna

2013

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We analyzed the effects that passage through the guts of seven didelphid species had on the seed germination of 10 plant species. This study was conducted in an area of riparian woodland in a cerrado (savanna) reserve in southeastern Brazil. We found seeds of 23 angiosperm species in 427 fecal samples obtained from seven didelphid species. The plant families most often represented by the seeds found in the fecal samples were Melastomataceae (5 species) and Rubiaceae (4 species) . Most gut-passed seeds showed no significant difference in germinability when compared with the hand-extracted seeds. Among the ingested seeds, only those of Clidemia urceolata DC. (Melastomataceae) and Myrcia sp. (Myrtaceae) showed an increase in germinability (final proportion of germinated seeds), indicating that didelphid gut passage does not always benefit seed germination. The average germination time of consumed seeds ranged from 12 days (Cipocereus minensis (Werderm.) Ritter) to 171 days (Cordiera sessilis (Vell.) Kuntze). The small number of seeds destroyed after gut passage and the results obtained during the germination experiments underscore the importance of didelphid marsupials to the dynamics of plant reproduction, especially those of small--seeded cerrado species.

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“…Chemical scarification, which can enhance germination (Traveset and Verdú, 2002) Clumped dispersal pattern or presence of fecal material may induce lower rates of seedling establishment (Andresen, 1999) Synzoochory Dispersal of larger seeds than similar-sized seed swallowers (Gross-Camp and Kaplin, 2011) Large numbers of seeds dispersed under crown, but rates of seed removal can be high (Lambert, 1999(Lambert, , 2001) Dispersal of more seeds than similar-sized seed swallowers (Corlett and Lucas, 1990) Varied seed shadow (McConkey and Brockelman, 2011) Higher rate of seedling establishment (Gross-Camp and Kaplin, 2011) Epizoochory (by hand)…”

Section: Dispersal Mode Advantages Disadvantagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The value of disturbance-tolerant cercopithecine monkeys as seed dispersers in degraded habitats

Albert¹,

McConkey²,

Savini³

et al. 2014

Biological Conservation

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a b s t r a c tHabitat disturbance has caused a global decline in populations of frugivores, with critical consequences for seed dispersal. Large-seeded plants are especially threatened as they depend on a restricted number of large-bodied dispersers that are vulnerable to extinction and cannot maintain populations in most disturbed habitats. Cercopithecine monkeys are potentially key seed dispersers in disturbed habitats, because of the robustness of some species to disturbance and their ability to disperse large seeds. However, the potential ecological roles of the more disturbance-tolerant species are rarely discussed. This review evaluates the seed dispersal role of cercopithecines in disturbed habitats by investigating their ability to tolerate habitat disturbance, their seed dispersal abilities, and the threats to species survival. Cercopithecines are characterised by ecological flexibility; most species adjust their diet, group size, home range size and, often, feeding methods according to resource availability and habitat structure. Consequently, 79% of species are tolerant of varying degrees of habitat disturbance. Cercopithecines are often inconsistent seed dispersers, but they have the capacity to disperse many seeds, large seeds and to disperse them across large distances. They may be among the most important frugivores in altered environments in Asia and Africa. However, many disturbance-tolerant cercopithecine species are targeted by local people as pests, which poses a major threat to their conservation. In conclusion, the management of all disturbance-tolerant cercopithecine species should be re-evaluated given their importance in the regeneration of degraded Asian and African habitats.

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A meta-analysis of the effect of gut treatment on seed germination.

Cited by 189 publications

References 0 publications

Potential seed dispersal by Didelphis albiventris (Marsupialia, Didelphidae) in highly disturbed environment

Potential seed dispersal by Didelphis albiventris (Marsupialia, Didelphidae) in highly disturbed environment

Effects of gut passage on the germination of seeds ingested by didelphid marsupials in a neotropical savanna

The value of disturbance-tolerant cercopithecine monkeys as seed dispersers in degraded habitats

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