Characterization of Seeds of Three Palm Species and their Relationship to Post-Dispersal Predation

The reproductive success of plants depends on the dispersal of their seeds. One of the processes influencing this dispersal is predation. In particular, post-dispersal predation influences the survival and spatial distribution of plants. In this work we evaluated the relationship of post-dispersal p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Revista Facultad de Ciencias Básicas
Main Author: Manjarres Hernández, Elsa Helena
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:Spanish
Published: Universidad Militar Nueva Granada 2021
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Online Access:https://revistas.unimilitar.edu.co/index.php/rfcb/article/view/5742
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Summary:The reproductive success of plants depends on the dispersal of their seeds. One of the processes influencing this dispersal is predation. In particular, post-dispersal predation influences the survival and spatial distribution of plants. In this work we evaluated the relationship of post-dispersal predation of seeds of three palms, Oenocarpus bataua, Euterpe precatoria and Socratea exorrhiza, with the patterns of dense-dependence, seed size and germination, in a forest of eastern Colombia. Three individuals were selected from each palm species, from which seeds were collected according to their aggregation pattern, forty aggregated seeds and forty non-aggregated seeds. Seed weight, diameter, germination, and predation were determined. It was found that seed size was different in the three palm species, there was a positive correlation between seed weight and diameter, predation percentages were approximately 50 %, and there was a relationship between seed germination and predation. Thus, the population dynamics of the palms under study can be associated with seed characteristics such as size, germination, density-dependence and their ability to resist predators. El éxito reproductivo de las plantas depende de la dispersión de sus semillas. Uno de los procesos que influye sobre esta dispersión es la depredación. En particular, la depredación posdispersión influye en la supervivencia y la distribución espacial de las plantas. En este trabajo se evaluó la relación de la depredación posdispersión de las semillas de tres palmas, Oenocarpus bataua, Euterpe precatoria y Socratea exorrhiza, con los patrones de denso-dependencia, el tamaño de las semillas y la germinación en un bosque del oriente colombiano. De cada especie de palma se seleccionaron tres individuos, en los que se recolectaron semillas de acuerdo con su patrón de agregación, cuarenta semillas agregadas y cuarenta semillas no agregadas. A las semillas se le determinó el peso, el diámetro, la germinación y la depredación. Se encontró ...