Mimosa tenuiflora is a species widely distributed in the Caatinga biome as forage for herds. Goats and sheep are efficient seed dispersers and can improve seed germination. This study aimed to evaluate the passage through the digestive system of goats and sheep at different ingestion periods, and its effect on recovery, quality and anatomical aspects of M. tenuiflora seeds. For this experiment, 24 animals (12 goats and 12 sheep) were confined, and 400 seeds were provided for each animal. After the seeds supply the seeds present in the feces of the animal were periodically collected. The study was performed in a completely randomized design, in a factorial scheme 2 × 5 + 1, with two animal species (goat and sheep), five periods of seed excretion (24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h) plus a control treatment composed of intact seeds. Recovery, seed quality, anatomy, and seedling vigor were evaluated. M. tenuiflora seeds were physically characterized as small and tended to pass quickly through the animal's digestive system. The seed recovery occurs up to 120 h for goats and 96 h for sheep after being provided, and the highest number of seeds were recovered after 48 h. The seeds collected after 120 h from goats and after 24 and 96 h from sheep showed improved germination and overcoming of seed dormancy. The anatomy analysis demonstrates that the passage through the animal digestive system promotes scarification of the seed tegument.

细花含羞草是一种广泛分布在卡廷加生物群落中的物种，可作为畜群的饲料。山羊和绵羊是高效的种子传播者，可以提高种子发芽率。本研究旨在评估山羊和绵羊在不同摄入时期通过消化系统的情况，及其对M. tenuiflora种子的回收、质量和解剖学方面的影响。在该实验中，圈养了 24 只动物（12 只山羊和 12 只绵羊），并为每只动物提供 400 颗种子。供应种子后，定期收集动物粪便中存在的种子。该研究采用完全随机设计，采用因子方案 2 × 5 + 1，涉及两种动物物种（山羊和绵羊）、五个种子排泄期（24、48、72、96 和 120 小时）以及由完整种子组成的对照处理。对回收率、种子质量、解剖结构和幼苗活力进行了评估。M. tenuiflora种子的物理特征是较小，并且往往能快速通过动物的消化系统。提供后，山羊和绵羊的种子回收时间分别为 120 小时和 96 小时，48 小时后回收的种子数量最多。120 小时后从山羊收集的种子以及 24 小时和 96 小时后从绵羊收集的种子显示出发芽率得到改善并克服了种子休眠。解剖学分析表明，通过动物消化系统会促进种子外皮的划痕。