Frugivory and seed dispersal by the Red-footed Tortoise Chelonoidis carbonaria

Lautenschlager, Laís; Souza, Yuri; Galetti, Mauro

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2022.103837

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The Cerrado has a great wealth of native fruit plants that are essential for wildlife sustainment, ecological balance, and environmental services (Kuhlmann & Ribeiro 2016). Seed-dispersing fauna are also fundamental for the balance of this biome because seeds influence the vegetation structure and forest dynamics and are the basis of plant diversity maintenance (Estrada & Fleming 2012, Villar et al 2019, Lautenschlager et al 2022. Despite its richness, approximately 50% of the original Cerrado has been converted to pastures and agricultural fields (Souza et al 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Germination of fruits eaten by the maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815) (Carnivora, Canidae)

Reis,

Dias,

Sousa

et al. 2023

Biota Neotrop.

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Zoochory is a fundamental process that can be the main mechanism for seed and plant dispersal for many species. Mammals of the Carnivora order are among the most important dispersing agents; however, little is known regarding the role of canids as seed dispersers. Although the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) has a potentially important role in seed dispersal, given its relatively high consumption of fruits, few studies have investigated the germination rate of ingested seeds. Here, we used seeds removed from the feces of two captive specimens (maned wolf treatment) and those directly collected from unconsumed fruits (control) in germination essays to evaluate the germination rate and emergence velocity index (IVE). We used mature fruits from five species of trees in the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest in a 5 (species) × 2 (method of seed collection) factorial arrangement. The passage of seeds through the digestive tract of the maned wolf favored the germination of Genipa americana and Psidium guajava, delayed germination of Psidium cattleianum, and maintained the germination of Plinia cauliflora and Ficus obtusifolia. Our results revealed that germination occurred for all tested plant species consumed by the maned wolf; therefore, this canid species has high dispersal potential and can be an important ally in the restoration of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest-Cerrado contact zone ecosystems.

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