Journal ArticleDOI
Seed dispersal, habitat selection and movement patterns in the Amazonian tortoise, Geochelone denticulata
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
Tortoises showed a marked preference for the open-canopy swampy forest, where long term recruitment was not favorable for seedlings of the species examined, however, the high solar radiation in this forest type promoted survival of pioneer seedlings in the short term.Abstract:
The Amazonian tortoise Geochelone denticulata may play an important role in forest dynamics due to its highly frugivorous diet, ability to disperse viable seeds, and predilection for resting in forest gaps for thermoregulation. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the species' effectiveness as a seed disperser. We measured dispersal quantity (abundance of seeds in feces, frequency of droppings, and population density of the disperser) and dispersal quality (movement patterns, habitat use, germination rates of dispersed seeds, and recruitment probabilities of seedlings) in a SW Amazonian forest, in Peru. Population density was calculated by mark-recapture and line-transect methods. Eight individuals were radio-tracked to monitor habitat use. Diet was described from fecal samples, which were washed to count seeds and for germination experiments. Seedling survival in different environmental conditions was monitored for three plant species. Population densities with mark-recapture estimates (0.15-0.31 individuals/ha) were much higher than with line transects estimates (0.0025 individuals/ha). Diet included fruit of 55 different plant species. Dispersed seeds had high germination rates (average 76%). In spite of their low activity, we documented long seed dispersal distances (average 89.6 m). Tortoises showed a marked preference for the open-canopy swampy forest, where long term recruitment was not favorable for seedlings of the species examined. However, the high solar radiation in this forest type promoted survival of pioneer seedlings in the short term. In conclusion, while G. denticulata did not perform a very efficient role in terms of the quantity of seed dispersal, the species can be considered efficient in many aspects of dispersal quality.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Integrating frugivory and animal movement: a review of the evidence and implications for scaling seed dispersal.
TL;DR: A frugivore‐centred, process‐based, synthetic approach to Seed dispersal research that integrates seed dispersal ecology and animal movement across multiple spatio‐temporal scales is advocated.
Journal ArticleDOI
Seed dispersal by Galapagos tortoises
Stephen Blake,Martin Wikelski,Fredy Cabrera,Anne Guezou,Miriam Silva,Elham Sadeghayobi,Charles B. Yackulic,Petricia Jaramillo +7 more
TL;DR: Galapagos tortoises are prodigious seed dispersers, regularly moving large quantities of seeds over long distances, which may confer important advantages to tortoise-dispersed species, including transport of seeds away from the parent plants into sites favourable for germination.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ecosystem services provided by amphibians and reptiles in Neotropical ecosystems
TL;DR: Although eight ecosystem services were identified, most studies focused on reptiles as seed dispersers and protein sources, and biological pest control and bioturbation were the most widely studied services obtained from amphibians.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ecological functions of neotropical amphibians and reptiles: a review
TL;DR: By knowing and understanding the functions that perform the herps in ecosystems, management plans for cultural landscapes, restoration or recovery projects of landscapes that involve aquatic and terrestrial systems, development of comprehensive plans and detailed conservation of species and ecosystems may be structured in a more appropriate way.
Journal ArticleDOI
Are tortoises important seed dispersers in Amazonian forests
TL;DR: The results suggest that C. denticulata plays an important role in seed dispersal in Amazonian forests and highlight the influence of seasonal changes in movements on the resulting seed shadows.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Ecology of Seed Dispersal
Henry E Howe,Judith Smallwood +1 more
TL;DR: A general objective of this paper is to explore the degree to which dispersal process and mode are integrated and, in so doing, to catalyze their union.
Journal ArticleDOI
Spatial patterns of seed dispersal, their determinants and consequences for recruitment.
TL;DR: Together with the development and refinement of mathematical models, this promises a deeper, more mechanistic understanding of dispersal processes and their consequences.
Book
Seed Dispersal and Frugivory : Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation
TL;DR: Historical and theoretical aspects of frugivory and seed dispersal plant strategies animal strategies conseqences of seed disperseal conservation perspectives are studied.