Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants
Native frugivores play an important role in native plant community dynamics by participating in seed dispersal. Today many island forests are invaded by introduced omnivores, such as rats, but their role in dispersing native plants is still little known. Here, we evaluated whether native seeds from...
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ftird:oai:ird.fr:fdi:010068894 2024-09-15T18:32:05+00:00 Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants Duron, Q. Garcia-Iriarte, O. Brescia, F. /Vidal, Eric NOUVELLE CALEDONIE 2017 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010068894 EN eng https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010068894 oai:ird.fr:fdi:010068894 Duron Q., Garcia-Iriarte O., Brescia F., Vidal Eric. Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants. 2017, 19 (1), p. 351-363 Seed dispersal Seed destruction Rattus Flying foxes Frugivorous pigeon text 2017 ftird 2024-08-15T05:57:41Z Native frugivores play an important role in native plant community dynamics by participating in seed dispersal. Today many island forests are invaded by introduced omnivores, such as rats, but their role in dispersing native plants is still little known. Here, we evaluated whether native seeds from New-Caledonian rainforests can germinate after passing through an invasive rat digestive tract and compared seed germinability and germination time between seeds ingested by invasive rats and native frugivores. We offered native fruits of Ficus racemigera and Freycinetia sulcata to the rats Rattus rattus and R. exulans, three flying foxes Pteropus spp. and the pigeon Ducula goliath. Our results showed that seeds can germinate after passing through an invasive rat digestive tract, and suggest that rats can disperse seeds of both plant species. However, invasive rats may be less efficient than native frugivores, as more seeds were destroyed when passing through rat digestive tracts than through native frugivores, and because germinability was lower and germination time was longer for seeds passing through invasive rats than through native frugivores. The reduced efficiency of rats may result from their generalized diet, the structure of their digestive tract, and/or their feeding behavior. In New-Caledonian rainforests, dispersal services on both plant species are likely well fulfilled by flying foxes and Ducula pigeons, but rats do not seem to be as efficient dispersers. Consequently, management measures to protect native frugivores should help to conserve seed dispersal services. Text Rattus rattus IRD (Institute de recherche pour le développement): Horizon |
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Open Polar |
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IRD (Institute de recherche pour le développement): Horizon |
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English |
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Seed dispersal Seed destruction Rattus Flying foxes Frugivorous pigeon |
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Seed dispersal Seed destruction Rattus Flying foxes Frugivorous pigeon Duron, Q. Garcia-Iriarte, O. Brescia, F. /Vidal, Eric Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants |
topic_facet |
Seed dispersal Seed destruction Rattus Flying foxes Frugivorous pigeon |
description |
Native frugivores play an important role in native plant community dynamics by participating in seed dispersal. Today many island forests are invaded by introduced omnivores, such as rats, but their role in dispersing native plants is still little known. Here, we evaluated whether native seeds from New-Caledonian rainforests can germinate after passing through an invasive rat digestive tract and compared seed germinability and germination time between seeds ingested by invasive rats and native frugivores. We offered native fruits of Ficus racemigera and Freycinetia sulcata to the rats Rattus rattus and R. exulans, three flying foxes Pteropus spp. and the pigeon Ducula goliath. Our results showed that seeds can germinate after passing through an invasive rat digestive tract, and suggest that rats can disperse seeds of both plant species. However, invasive rats may be less efficient than native frugivores, as more seeds were destroyed when passing through rat digestive tracts than through native frugivores, and because germinability was lower and germination time was longer for seeds passing through invasive rats than through native frugivores. The reduced efficiency of rats may result from their generalized diet, the structure of their digestive tract, and/or their feeding behavior. In New-Caledonian rainforests, dispersal services on both plant species are likely well fulfilled by flying foxes and Ducula pigeons, but rats do not seem to be as efficient dispersers. Consequently, management measures to protect native frugivores should help to conserve seed dispersal services. |
format |
Text |
author |
Duron, Q. Garcia-Iriarte, O. Brescia, F. /Vidal, Eric |
author_facet |
Duron, Q. Garcia-Iriarte, O. Brescia, F. /Vidal, Eric |
author_sort |
Duron, Q. |
title |
Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants |
title_short |
Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants |
title_full |
Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants |
title_fullStr |
Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants |
title_full_unstemmed |
Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants |
title_sort |
comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in new-caledonian rainforest plants |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010068894 |
op_coverage |
NOUVELLE CALEDONIE |
genre |
Rattus rattus |
genre_facet |
Rattus rattus |
op_relation |
https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010068894 oai:ird.fr:fdi:010068894 Duron Q., Garcia-Iriarte O., Brescia F., Vidal Eric. Comparative effects of native frugivores and introduced rodents on seed germination in New-Caledonian rainforest plants. 2017, 19 (1), p. 351-363 |
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1810473848490950656 |