How do primates affect seed germination? A meta-analysis of gut passage effects on neotropical plants

Oikos ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 125 (8) ◽  
pp. 1069-1080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisieux F. Fuzessy ◽  
Tatiana G. Cornelissen ◽  
Charles Janson ◽  
Fernando A. O. Silveira
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Neotropical Plants

scholarly journals Frugivory and seed dispersal in a hyperdiverse plant clade and its role as a keystone resource for the Neotropical fauna

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Vitor S Messeder ◽  
Fernando A O Silveira ◽  
Tatiana G Cornelissen ◽  
Lisieux F Fuzessy ◽  
Tadeu J Guerra
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Resource Scarcity ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Dispersal Mechanism ◽  
Neotropical Fauna ◽  
Coexisting Species ◽  
Seed Handling

Abstract Background and Aims Much of our understanding of the ecology and evolution of seed dispersal in the Neotropics is founded on studies involving the animal-dispersed, hyperdiverse plant clade Miconia (Melastomataceae). Nonetheless, no formal attempt has been made to establish its relevance as a model system or indeed provide evidence of the role of frugivores as Miconia seed dispersers. Methods We built three Miconia databases (fruit phenology/diaspore traits, fruit–frugivore interactions and effects on seed germination after gut passage) to determine how Miconia fruiting phenology and fruit traits for >350 species interact with and shape patterns of frugivore selection. In addition, we conducted a meta-analysis evaluating the effects of animal gut passage/seed handling on Miconia germination. Key Results Miconia produce numerous small berries that enclose numerous tiny seeds within water- and sugar-rich pulps. In addition, coexisting species provide sequential, year long availability of fruits within communities, with many species producing fruits in periods of resource scarcity. From 2396 pairwise interactions, we identified 646 animal frugivore species in five classes, 22 orders and 60 families, including birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and ants that consume Miconia fruits. Endozoochory is the main dispersal mechanism, but gut passage effects on germination were specific to animal clades; birds, monkeys and ants reduced seed germination percentages, while opossums increased it. Conclusions The sequential fruiting phenologies and wide taxonomic and functional diversity of animal vectors associated with Miconia fruits underscore the likely keystone role that this plant clade plays in the Neotropics. By producing fruits morphologically and chemically accessible to a variety of animals, Miconia species ensure short- and long-distance seed dispersal and constitute reliable resources that sustain entire frugivore assemblages.

scholarly journals Frugivore gut passage increases seed germination: an updated meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haldre S Rogers ◽  
Brittany R Cavazos ◽  
Ann Marie Gawel ◽  
Alex T Karnish ◽  
Courtenay A Ray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Multiple Predictor ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Pulp Removal

Many plants rely on animal mutualists for reproduction. Quantifying how animal mutualists impact plant performance provides a foundation for modelling how change in animal communities affects the composition and functioning of plant communities. We performed a meta-analysis of 2539 experiments, 6 times more than the last comprehensive meta-analysis, examining how gut passage by frugivores influences seed germination. We simultaneously analyzed multiple predictor variables related to study methodology, location, and frugivore identity to disentangle methodological from ecological impacts on effect sizes. We found that gut passage by birds, fish, reptiles, bats, primates, and other mammals on average increased seed germination, but that the magnitude varied across vertebrate groups. The positive effects of gut passage were largely explained by the de-inhibitory effects of pulp removal rather than by the scarification of seed tissues. Some previous studies and meta-analyses that found no effect of gut passage only tested scarification or did not distinguish between these tests of scarification and pulp removal. We found that, for a typical fleshy-fruited plant species, the lack of gut passage reduces germination by 60%. From an evolutionary perspective, this indicates a large risk associated with reliance on animal mutualists that is balanced against the benefits of animal-mediated seed dispersal. From a conservation perspective, this highlights the potential for large demographic consequences of frugivore declines on plant populations. Our database and findings advance quantitative predictions for the role of fruit-frugivore interactions in shaping plant communities in the Anthropocene.

scholarly journals Cross-Infection Experiments of Psittacanthus schiedeanus: Effects of Host Provenance, Gut Passage, and Host Fate on Mistletoe Seedling Survival

Plant Disease ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 780-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Magdalena Ramírez ◽  
Juan Francisco Ornelas
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
The Other ◽  
Liquidambar Styraciflua ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Host Trees ◽  
Treatment Interaction ◽  
Race Formation ◽  
Full Factorial

Host-specific race formation has been suggested for mistletoe species using cross-dispersal experiments. Here, we tested the effects of host provenance, bird gut passage, and host fate on Psittacanthus schiedeanus seed either manually extracted or bird gut-passed on four host species in Veracruz, Mexico: Acacia pennatula, Liquidambar styraciflua, Platanus mexicana, and Quercus germana. Both groups of seed were placed on the branches of host trees in a full factorial design of cross-inoculation. Bird gut passage had no effect on seed germination, and the only factor having a significant effect on seed germination was host provenance. Results of seedling establishment were similar to those of seed germination, where mistletoe seed inoculated on P. mexicana were more likely to germinate and seedlings to establish than seed inoculated on the other hosts. The significant host provenance–fruit treatment interaction was largely due to a lower seedling establishment of gut-passed seed from P. mexicana to P. mexicana and the other hosts. Although host provenance of mistletoe seed was a significant predictor in germination and seedling establishment, the host provenance–host fate interaction was the only significant predictor for seedling survival. The significant host provenance–host fate interaction was largely due to higher survival success of mistletoe seed from L. styraciflua to L. styraciflua and P. mexicana and from P. mexicana to P. mexicana and a lower success from Q. germana to Q. germana and from A. pennatula to A. pennatula.

scholarly journals GERMINAÇÃO DE SEMENTES E EFEITOS DA SIMULAÇÃO DA PASSAGEM PELO TRATO DIGESTIVO DE AVES NO PANTANAL SUL / SEED GERMINATION AND THE EFFECTS OF OF BIRD GUT PASSAGE SIMULATION IN THE SOUTHERN PANTANAL

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 17968-17983
Author(s):  
Karina Rocha de Oliveira ◽  
Edivaldo Oliveira de Souza ◽  
Maycon Macena Marcelo ◽  
Erika Rozendo Cedreira ◽  
Maria Beatriz Kiomido Mendonça ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Gut Passage

scholarly journals Seed dispersal by Ceratogymna hornbills in the Dja Reserve, Cameroon

1998 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 351-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
KENNETH D. WHITNEY ◽  
MARK K. FOGIEL ◽  
AARON M. LAMPERTI ◽  
KIMBERLY M. HOLBROOK ◽  
DONALD J. STAUFFER ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Regeneration ◽  
Germination Rate ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Forest Elephants ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
Passage Times

Seed dispersal is a process critical to the maintenance of tropical forests, yet little is known about the interactions of most dispersers with their communities. In the Dja Reserve, Cameroon, seed dispersal by the hornbills Certaogymna atrata, C. cylindricus and C. fistulator (Aves: Bucerotidae) was evaluated with respect to the taxonomic breadth of plants dispersed, location of seed deposition and effects on seed germination. Collectively, the three hornbill species consumed fruits from 59 tree and liana species, and likely provided dispersal for 56 of them. Hornbill-dispersed tree species composed 22% of the known tree flora of the site. Hornbill visit lengths, visit frequencies, and seed passage times indicated that few seeds were deposited beneath parent trees; in five hornbill/tree species pairings studied, 69–100% of the seeds ingested were deposited away from the parent trees. Germination trials showed that hornbill gut passage is gentle on seeds. Of 24 tree species tested, 23 germinated after passage by hornbills; of 17 planted with controls taken directly from trees, only four species showed evidence of inhibition of germination rate, while seven experienced unchanged germinated rates and six experienced enhanced germination rates. Results suggested that Certaogymna hornbill rank among the most important seed dispersers found in Afrotropical forests, and they deserve increased conservation attention. Ceratogymna hornbills are likely to become increasingly important in forest regeneration as populations of larger mammalian seed dispersers (such as forest elephants and primates) diminish.

scholarly journals The seed germination spectrum of alpine plants: a global meta‐analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Fernández‐Pascual ◽  
Angelino Carta ◽  
Andrea Mondoni ◽  
Lohengrin A. Cavieres ◽  
Sergey Rosbakh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Germination ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Alpine Plants
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