Functional Traits and Phylogenetic Effects Drive Germination of Lemur-Passed Seeds.

ABSTRACT: Frugivore-mediated seed dispersal drives ecological functioning across tropical forests. The biological mechanisms affecting seed dispersal outcomes, as well as the role of specific functional traits in plants and their dispersers, is still not well understood. To address this gap, we conducted germination experiments in eight species of captive and two species of wild lemurs, which disperse different plant species. We (1) quantified the effects of pulp removal, seed priming, and feces effects (nutrient/microbial fertilization) through gut passage as mechanisms, (2) determined the effect of frugivore species on germination, and (3) assessed how individual plant and animal traits affected two seed germination outcomes: success rates and time-to-germination. Accounting for phylogenetic non-i

SUBMITTER: DeSisto CMM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11794832 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature