Small size does not restrain frugivory and seed dispersal across the evolutionary radiation of Galapagos lava lizards.

ABSTRACT: Frugivory in lizards is often assumed to be constrained by body size; only large individuals are considered capable of consuming fruits, with the potential of acting as seed dispersers. However, only one previous study has tested the correlation of frugivory with body and head size at an archipelago scale across closely related species. All nine lava lizards (Microlophus spp.) were studied on the eleven largest Galápagos islands from 2010 to 2016 to investigate whether frugivory is related to body and head size. We also tested whether fruit abundance influences fruit consumption and explored the effect of seed ingestion on seedling emergence time and percentage. Our results showed that across islands, lava lizards varied considerably in size (64-102 mm in mean snout-vent length) and

SUBMITTER: HervIas-Parejo S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6688575 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature