To evaluate the effect of Japanese martens (Martes melampus) gutpassage on seed germination, a qualitative component of seed dispersal effectiveness, we fed the seeds of a liana, Actinidia arguta, to captive animals and compared the germination ratios between ingested seeds and seeds with their pulp removed artificially, and among seeds with pulp under different conditions. Field experiments were conducted to test the effects of light level and pulp on germination. Ingested A. arguta seeds showed a significantly higher germination ratio than those subjected to other treatments, and seeds without pulp showed higher germination ratio than those with pulp, suggesting that ingestion by martens is beneficial for pulp removal. Mean number of days until germination did not differ across treatments, and martens’ ingestion did not provide a significant competitive advantage over control seeds. Finally, the light level had no effect on germination ratio. Actinidia arguta grows quickly and has a higher density than that of other plant species at the forest edge, where the Japanese martens prefer to defecate for their territorial marking. The martens provide two positive effects on early stage of A. arguta fitness: transportation of intact seeds to suitable sites and stimulation of germination through pulp removal. They may also be directed dispersal agents for this liana species. Relative importance of the martens on the dispersal effectiveness of A. arguta, therefore, should be much greater than that of sympatric frugivores.

为了评估日本貂（Martes melampus）肠道对种子发芽的影响，种子发芽是定性种子的定性成分，我们将藤本植物猕猴桃（Arginidia arguta）喂入圈养动物，并比较了摄食种子和种子与其种子之间的发芽率。纸浆是人工去除的，并且在不同条件下用纸浆去除了种子。进行了野外试验以测试光水平和果肉对发芽的影响。食入A. arguta种子的发芽率比其他处理的要高得多，没有纸浆的种子的发芽率比有纸浆的种子高，这表明马滕氏菌的摄入有利于去除纸浆。在不同处理之间，发芽前的平均天数没有差异，并且相比于对照种子，貂的摄食没有提供明显的竞争优势。最后，光照水平对发芽率没有影响。猕猴桃生长较快，密度比森林边缘的其他植物物种高，日本貂更喜欢排便以获取地域标记。貂对A. arguta的早期有两个积极作用适合性：将完整的种子运输到合适的位置，并通过去除果肉来刺激发芽。它们也可以作为该藤本植物的直接分散剂。因此，马氏菌对A. arguta的扩散效果的相对重要性应远高于同胞节食动物。