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The role of nocturnal omnivorous lemurs as seed dispersers in Malagasy rain forests
Biotropica ( IF 2.1 ) Pub Date : 2020-04-20 , DOI: 10.1111/btp.12789
Veronarindra Ramananjato 1 , Zafimahery Rakotomalala 1 , Daniel S. Park 2 , Camille M. M. DeSisto 2 , Nancia N. Raoelinjanakolona 1 , Nicola K. Guthrie 3 , Zo E. S. Fenosoa 1 , Steig E. Jonhson 3 , Onja H. Razafindratsima 4
Affiliation  

Fruit‐eating animals play important roles as seed dispersal agents in terrestrial systems. Yet, the extent to which seed dispersal by nocturnal omnivores may facilitate germination and the recruitment of plant communities has rarely been investigated. Characterizing their roles in seed dispersal is necessary to provide a more complete picture of how seed dispersal processes affect ecosystem functioning. We investigated the roles and impacts of two species of nocturnal omnivorous lemur species, Microcebus jollyae and M. rufus, on seed dispersal in Madagascar's rain forests, through analysis of fecal samples and germination experiments. Data show that these lemur species, which are among the world's smallest primates, dispersed 22 plant species from various forest strata and that the defecated seeds germinated faster and at higher rates than control seeds for the eight plant species we tested. Even though mouse lemurs dispersed both native and non‐native plant species, non‐native plant species represented a relatively small proportion (17%). These results demonstrate that overlooked nocturnal omnivores can act as important seed dispersers, which may have critical implications for forest regeneration and the maintenance of plant diversity in fragmented/degraded forests. Finally, we provide critical insights into the previously unobserved behavior and diet of endangered nocturnal lemurs for their effective conservation.

中文翻译:

夜间杂食性狐猴在马达加斯加雨林中作为种子分散剂的作用

吃水果的动物在地面系统中作为种子传播剂发挥着重要作用。然而,很少有人研究通过夜间杂食动物散布种子的程度可能促进发芽和募集植物群落。为了更全面地了解种子传播过程如何影响生态系统功能,有必要对它们在种子传播中的作用进行表征是必要的。我们调查了两种杂食性夜间狐猴物种Microcebus jollyaeM. rufus的作用和影响通过粪便样品分析和发芽实验,研究了在马达加斯加雨林中种子的传播。数据显示,这些狐猴物种是世界上最小的灵长类动物之一,它们分散了来自不同森林地层的22种植物,并且排泄的种子比我们测试的8种植物的对照种子发芽的速度更快且发芽率更高。尽管小鼠狐猴分散了本地和非本地植物物种,但非本地植物物种所占的比例相对较小(17%)。这些结果表明,被忽略的夜间杂食动物可以充当重要的种子传播者,这可能对零散/退化森林中的森林再生和植物多样性的维持具有至关重要的意义。最后,
更新日期:2020-04-20
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