Palms, like many plants, rely on frugivorous animals to disperse their seed. Large-scale human-mediated dispersal for their production and amenity values has seen the introduction of palms into a wide range of ecosystems where they subsequently have become naturalized. A wide range of native as well as exotic species has adapted to palm drupes as a food source and serve as dispersal vectors. Most canids are opportunistic generalist feeders that consume various quantities of fruit such as drupes of palms. This is the first comprehensive review examining the role of canids in the dispersal of ornamental palm species. It can be shown that the effectiveness of canids as vectors in the dispersal of Phoenix and Washingtonia palms is heavily dependent on a species’ ability to be sympatric with humans, whereby coyotes, golden jackals and red foxes have been shown to be particularly adaptable. The marking behaviour of canids, with its repeated defecation at the same locality, and long gastrointestinal transit times coupled with large home ranges as well as the improved germination rates following passage through the gut all favour a palm’s successful dispersal. Canids are particularly significant and effective dispersers over long distances and in spaces where perches (favoured by avian vectors) are absent. The review has shown some gaps in the literature and state of research: There is a lack of empirical data on gastrointestinal transit times among all canids bar domestic dogs and red foxes. Dietary studies often make little attempt at identifying and classifying the plant content of scats and stomachs. Wherein, studies consider the presence of palm seeds in scats, the quantity of seeds in a single scat is often not reported, nor is the state of the seed, such as the presence of chew or bite marks or the presence of exocarp fragments. Studies on home ranges are generally silent on actual linear travel distances which provide information on a vector’s capacity to disperse seed.

像许多植物一样，棕榈也依靠食肉动物驱散种子。大规模的人为传播以其生产和舒适性价值为目的，已将棕榈引入了广泛的生态系统，随后它们被自然化。各种各样的本地和外来物种已经适应了棕榈核果作为食物来源并作为传播媒介。多数犬科动物是投机的通才饲养者，会消耗各种数量的水果，例如棕榈果核。这是首次全面审查，探讨了犬科动物在观赏棕榈物种传播中的作用。可以证明，犬科动物作为媒介传播凤凰和华盛顿的效力棕榈严重依赖于物种与人类同生的能力，因此，土狼，金狐和赤狐已被证明特别适应。犬科动物的标志性行为，在相同位置重复排便，胃肠道运输时间长，居所范围大以及通过肠道后发芽率提高，都有利于手掌的成功散布。犬科动物在长距离和没有栖息（受鸟类媒介支持）的空间中是特别重要和有效的分散剂。这篇综述显示了文献和研究状况中的一些空白：缺乏关于家犬和赤狐的所有犬科动物胃肠运输时间的经验数据。饮食研究通常很少尝试识别和分类粪便和胃中的植物成分。其中，研究考虑到粪便中存在棕榈种子，通常没有报告单个粪便中种子的数量，也没有报道种子的状态，例如咀嚼或咬痕的存在或外果皮碎片的存在。对本垒场的研究通常没有提及实际的线性传播距离，后者提供了有关媒介传播种子能力的信息。