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Seed dispersal by frugivores and germination of the invasive alien shrub Pyracantha angustifolia (Franch.) C.K. Schneid. in Free State Province, South Africa

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Abstract

Invasive alien plants can use animal-plant interactions to increase their invasiveness. This study investigated the role of frugivorous birds in seed dispersal, germination success and germination time of the alien plant Pyracantha angustifolia (Franch.) C.K. Schneid. (Rosaceae) in South African high elevation grasslands. We monitored which bird species fed on the fruit of the invasive P. angustifolia in farms in the Free State Province using timed-focal and opportunistic observations, and camera traps aimed at fruiting branches and fallen fruits on the ground. Nine bird species visited P. angustifolia shrubs to perch or feed on fruits, but only one (Speckled Mousebird) fed on the fruits during timed-focal observations. Camera trap footage and opportunistic observations revealed a further three bird species (African Pied Starlings, Crested Barbets, Red-eyed Barbets), domestic horses and goats, and two rodent species feeding on fruits. To assess the effect of ingestion by avian frugivores on P. angustifolia germination success and time, P. angustifolia fruits were fed to captive Cape White-eyes (Zosterops virens), Dark-capped Bulbuls (Pycnonotus tricolor), Purple-crested Turacos (Gallirex porphyreolophus), Red-winged Starlings (Onychognathus morio) and Speckled Mousebirds (Colius striatus); frugivores present in the invasive range of P. angustifolia in South Africa. Seeds collected from bird excreta, whole fruits, and depulped fruits were grown under greenhouse conditions and germination times recorded. All captive bird species, except for Cape White-eyes, ingested the seeds; Cape White-eyes fed on fruit pulp only. Bird species with relatively larger body mass had longer seed retention times compared with the smaller bird species. Germination success of both depulped and ingested P. angustifolia seeds was significantly higher (> 80%) than for seeds from whole fruits (7%). Ingestion by the four avian frugivore species did not affect germination time and success; instead, the birds facilitate the spread and germination of seeds by removing the fruit pulp and spreading the seed away from the parent shrubs.

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Data availability

The data sets analysed during the study will be available in Zenodo repository [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4534703].

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Acknowledgements

The Afromontane Research Unit, University of the Free State, supported Lehlohonolo Adams and Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen with a Masters bursary and running costs for this project, respectively. The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) are thanked for funding, noting that this publication does not necessarily represent the views or opinions of DFFE or its employees. The South African Research Chairs Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology and the National Research Foundation of South Africa provided additional funding. Additional running costs provided by DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) are acknowledged. Any opinion, finding, conclusion or recommendation expressed in this material is that of the authors, and the National Research Foundation does not accept any liability in this regard. Albert Malefane, Nicholas Le Maitre, Anthony Mapaura, and Lindokuhle Mdakane are thanked for assisting with field observational data collection. We are grateful to Sellwane Moloi for assistance with data analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Afromontane Research Unit, Department of Plant Sciences, University of the Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa

    Lehlohonolo D. Adams & Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen

  2. Afromontane Research Unit, Department of Geography, University of the Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa

    Vincent R. Clark

  3. Department of Entomology and Zoology, Centre for Biological Control, Rhodes University, Makhanda (Grahamstown), South Africa

    Grant D. Martin

  4. Afromontane Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa

    Grant D. Martin

  5. Centre for Invasion Biology, Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    Colleen T. Downs, Vuyisile Thabethe & Islamiat A. Raji

  6. Centre for Invasion Biology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Lehlohonolo D. Adams

  7. South African National Biodiversity Institute, University of the Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa

    Lehlohonolo D. Adams

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  1. Lehlohonolo D. Adams
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Contributions

LDA, GDM and SS conceived the study; LDA, VT and IAR collected the data; LDA analysed the data. All the authors participated in the writing of the manuscript and LDA, GDM, SS and VRC contributed substantially to revisions.

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Correspondence to Sandy-Lynn Steenhuisen.

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Adams, L.D., Martin, G.D., Downs, C.T. et al. Seed dispersal by frugivores and germination of the invasive alien shrub Pyracantha angustifolia (Franch.) C.K. Schneid. in Free State Province, South Africa. Biol Invasions 24, 2809–2819 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-022-02807-5

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