Abstract Prosopis juliflora is a small mesquite tree native to Central and South America, with invasive populations in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide, including North Africa and the Arab Gulf region where it has been introduced for livestock forage. In Egypt, the geographical pattern of its spread suggests that domestic sheep are important seed vectors. We assessed the effect of seed passage through the sheep digestive system on germination. Only 7 % of seeds passed through the digestive system intact, and these seeds had greater volume and weight. Excreted seeds had higher germination rates and germinated more quickly than untreated control seeds under laboratory conditions. Our results further strengthen evidence for the importance of domesticated animals as vectors of this invasive species and suggest that sheep must be considered in management strategies to prevent further spread into protected areas.

中文翻译：

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羊传种对入侵胡杨树发芽的影响

摘要 Prosopis juliflora 是一种原产于中美洲和南美洲的小型豆科植物树，在全球许多热带和亚热带地区都有入侵种群，包括北非和阿拉伯湾地区，在那里它已被引入用于牲畜饲料。在埃及，其传播的地理模式表明家羊是重要的种子载体。我们评估了种子通过绵羊消化系统对发芽的影响。只有 7% 的种子完好无损地通过消化系统，而且这些种子的体积和重量更大。在实验室条件下，排泄的种子比未经处理的对照种子具有更高的发芽率和发芽速度。