Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so bad
ABSTRACT Studies about seed dispersal and germination are important to understand patterns of plant distribution and abundance, and help establish strategies for environmental conservation. We evaluated the role of two different dispersers, the ant Atta laevigata and the maned wolf Chrysocyon brachy...
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| Format: | Article |
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Sociedade Botânica do Brasil
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Acta Botânica Brasílica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062022000100147&tlng=en |
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| author | Marcilio Fagundes Ana Paula Mota Fernandes Silva Bruno Henrique Silva Mayrink Luiz Henrique Arimura Figueiredo Alessandre Custódio Jorge Ingrid Lara Vieira Gomes |
| author_facet | Marcilio Fagundes Ana Paula Mota Fernandes Silva Bruno Henrique Silva Mayrink Luiz Henrique Arimura Figueiredo Alessandre Custódio Jorge Ingrid Lara Vieira Gomes |
| author_sort | Marcilio Fagundes |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Studies about seed dispersal and germination are important to understand patterns of plant distribution and abundance, and help establish strategies for environmental conservation. We evaluated the role of two different dispersers, the ant Atta laevigata and the maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus, in the germination of Copaifera arenicola seeds, a characteristically myrmecochorous plant species. Germination was evaluated for seeds subjected to four treatments: (1) seeds manipulated by the ant, (2) seeds ingested by the maned wolf, (3) seeds that had the elaiosome removed manually, and (4) seeds with elaiosome (unmanipulated seeds). Seeds manipulated by the ant and seeds that had the elaiosome removed manually required less time to germinate and had higher germination percentages (98.6% and 95.8%, respectively) than the other treatments. However, seeds ingested by the maned wolf also had a high germination percentage (87.7%), above that of unmanipulated seeds (34.7%). Probably, elaiosomes of unmanipulated seeds and small remnants of this structure that resist digestion by maned wolf can decrease to some extent seed germination. We argue that dispersal of C. arenicola seeds by the ant and by the maned wolf result in different patterns of seed distribution in the environment and that they have complementary roles in structuring plant populations. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:24:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a2ac516a15af4c2cb7480b6e998fb92c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1677-941X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:24:34Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Sociedade Botânica do Brasil |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Botânica Brasílica |
| spelling | doaj.art-a2ac516a15af4c2cb7480b6e998fb92c2022-12-22T04:37:07ZengSociedade Botânica do BrasilActa Botânica Brasílica1677-941X2022-10-013610.1590/1677-941x-abb-2022-0093Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so badMarcilio Fagundeshttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5915-6331Ana Paula Mota Fernandes Silvahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5986-7598Bruno Henrique Silva Mayrinkhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3812-7712Luiz Henrique Arimura Figueiredohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-5880-0858Alessandre Custódio Jorgehttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9038-2222Ingrid Lara Vieira Gomeshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4114-230XABSTRACT Studies about seed dispersal and germination are important to understand patterns of plant distribution and abundance, and help establish strategies for environmental conservation. We evaluated the role of two different dispersers, the ant Atta laevigata and the maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus, in the germination of Copaifera arenicola seeds, a characteristically myrmecochorous plant species. Germination was evaluated for seeds subjected to four treatments: (1) seeds manipulated by the ant, (2) seeds ingested by the maned wolf, (3) seeds that had the elaiosome removed manually, and (4) seeds with elaiosome (unmanipulated seeds). Seeds manipulated by the ant and seeds that had the elaiosome removed manually required less time to germinate and had higher germination percentages (98.6% and 95.8%, respectively) than the other treatments. However, seeds ingested by the maned wolf also had a high germination percentage (87.7%), above that of unmanipulated seeds (34.7%). Probably, elaiosomes of unmanipulated seeds and small remnants of this structure that resist digestion by maned wolf can decrease to some extent seed germination. We argue that dispersal of C. arenicola seeds by the ant and by the maned wolf result in different patterns of seed distribution in the environment and that they have complementary roles in structuring plant populations.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062022000100147&tlng=enAntsCopaifera arenicolamaned wolfplant assemblyseed dispersionZoochory |
| spellingShingle | Marcilio Fagundes Ana Paula Mota Fernandes Silva Bruno Henrique Silva Mayrink Luiz Henrique Arimura Figueiredo Alessandre Custódio Jorge Ingrid Lara Vieira Gomes Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so bad Acta Botânica Brasílica Ants Copaifera arenicola maned wolf plant assembly seed dispersion Zoochory |
| title | Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so bad |
| title_full | Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so bad |
| title_fullStr | Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so bad |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so bad |
| title_short | Seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the Brazilian semiarid region: the wolf is not so bad |
| title_sort | seed germination of a myrmecochorous plant endemic to the brazilian semiarid region the wolf is not so bad |
| topic | Ants Copaifera arenicola maned wolf plant assembly seed dispersion Zoochory |
| url | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-33062022000100147&tlng=en |
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