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Effects of ingestion by neotropical bats on germination parameters of native free-standing and strangler figs (Ficus sp., Moraceae)

  • Plant-Animal interactions - Original Paper
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Abstract

Fruit-eating animals can influence the germination success of seeds through transportation and handling. We experimentally tested the contribution of ingestion by the common fruit-eating bat, Artibeus jamaicensis (Phyllostomidae, Chiroptera), to the percentage and rate of seed germination of figs (Ficus, Moraceae), which are considered keystone species for many frugivores. We collected fruits from three species of native free-standing figs (subgenus Pharmacosycea: F. insipida, F. maxima and F. yoponensis) and three species of native strangler figs (subgenus Urostigma: F. nymphiifolia, F. obtusifolia and F. popenoei) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. The germination success of seeds removed from fruit pulp either manually or by ingestion was very high (>92%), while seeds that were not removed from fruit pulp were destroyed by fast-growing fungi within a few days. The dynamics of seed germination were not influenced by ingestion, but differed between the two subgenera of figs. In free-standing figs, germination started significantly earlier (5.3 ± 0.7 days) than in strangler figs (8.6 ± 1.4 days). Furthermore, strangler seeds were covered with a sticky coating and their seedlings developed cotyledons faster than fine roots, in contrast to free-standing figs that showed the opposite pattern. Our results demonstrate that the germination of fig seeds is positively influenced by passage through the gut of A. jamaicensis. Furthermore, free-standing and strangler figs revealed differences in germination parameters that might be adaptive with respect to the suitability of microsites such as tree fall gaps or host trees for establishment.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) fellowship to K. Heer. We thank the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama for logistic support. We particularly thank Robert Hodgkison, Sonja Gässler and Kathrin Barboza-Marquez for help in the field. We also want to thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments that considerably improved our manuscript. Animal capture and treatment comply with the current laws of Panama and have been approved by the Animal Care Committee of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Experimental Ecology, University of Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069, Ulm, Germany

    Katrin Heer, Larissa Albrecht & Elisabeth K. V. Kalko

  2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, P.O. Box 0843-03092, Balboa, Panama

    Elisabeth K. V. Kalko

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  1. Katrin Heer
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  2. Larissa Albrecht
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  3. Elisabeth K. V. Kalko
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Correspondence to Katrin Heer.

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Communicated by Mark Chappell.

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Heer, K., Albrecht, L. & Kalko, E.K.V. Effects of ingestion by neotropical bats on germination parameters of native free-standing and strangler figs (Ficus sp., Moraceae). Oecologia 163, 425–435 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-010-1600-x

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