Differential seed germination of a keystone palm (Euterpe edulis) dispersed by avian frugivores

The effectiveness of seed dispersal by vertebrates has been analysed by examining both quantitative and qualitative components (Jordano & Schupp 2000, Schupp et al. 2010). While the quantitative component is relatively easily assessed in the field (e.g. visitation rate, number of fruits eaten pe...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: De Barros Leite, Abraão [UNESP], Brancalion, Pedro H.S., Guevara, Roger, Galetti, Mauro [UNESP]
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2012
Country:Brasil
Institution:Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
Repository:Repositório Institucional da UNESP
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.unesp.br:11449/73702
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0266467412000594
http://hdl.handle.net/11449/73702
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Aburria cujubi
Atlantic forest
Frugivory
Gut passage time
Pteroglossus bailloni
Ramphastos dicolorus
Ramphastos toco
Ramphastos vitellinus
Seed dispersal
Seed fate
Turdus rufiventris
avifauna
digestive system
evergreen tree
frugivory
germination
keystone species
metabolism
monocotyledon
seed
seed treatment
zoochory
Atlantic Forest
Aburria
Aves
Euterpe edulis
Pteroglossus
Vertebrata
Description
Summary:The effectiveness of seed dispersal by vertebrates has been analysed by examining both quantitative and qualitative components (Jordano & Schupp 2000, Schupp et al. 2010). While the quantitative component is relatively easily assessed in the field (e.g. visitation rate, number of fruits eaten per visit), the qualitative component (e.g. fate of dispersed seeds, seed treatment in the digestive system of the disperser) is rarely studied under natural conditions, because it is difficult to measure the effects on seeds once ingested by the dispersers (Cortes et al. 2009). © Cambridge University Press 2012.