Effects of seed ingestion by the lesser long-nosed bat<i>Leptonycteris yerbabuenae</i>on the germination of the giant cactus<i>Isolatocereus dumortieri</i>

Rojas-Martínez, Alberto E.; Pavón, Numa P.; Castillo, Juan Pablo

doi:10.1894/tal-69.1

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The cumulative negative effects in this subfamily were calculated based on evidence from the nectarivorous and pollinivorous bats Glossophaga longirostris , Glossophaga commissarisi, and Leptonycteris yerbabuenae . In the study of Leptonycteris yerbabuenae, the authors suggest that the decreased seed germination after ingestion was caused by the acids of the GT, which killed the plant embryos (Rojas‐Martinez et al 2015). However, reduction in germination after ingestion by nectarivorous bats could also occur for the opposite reason: these bats have simple GTs, and when they ingest fruits and seeds, their digestion is less efficient than in other bats (Kelm et al 2008), probably reducing the scarification of seeds and perhaps generating the decreased pattern of seed germination that the authors observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global patterns in seed germination after ingestion by mammals

2020

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1. Mammals play an important role in seed germination through the ingestion of fruits and seeds. Since seed germination is a basic step in seedling recruitment, understanding how mammals affect germination improves our understanding of the effect of loss of mammal populations on the dynamics of plant communities. 2. We used meta-analytical methods to describe global patterns in the effect of seed ingestion by mammals on seed germination success and rate. We collected data from 154 studies that included 115 mammal species and 448 plant species. 3. Our results showed a positive cumulative effect of mammals on seed germination. However, this effect differed between mammalian orders; thus, some groups such as elephants, primates, and new world marsupials emerged as important enhancers of seed germination. Also, the effect varied depending on the plant family and the bioregion. Increased seed germination after ingestion was positively related to fast germination. 4. This meta-analysis, the first to synthesise and compare most of the information presently available on how mammals affect seed germination after ingestion, shows a global positive effect of mammals as enhancers of seed germination. However, behind that positive effect lies a diversity of neutral, negative, and positive effects of different magnitudes, which may have multifactorial explanations. We hope that the patterns presented here open up new questions and help guide future research efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global patterns in seed germination after ingestion by mammals

2020

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“…, Rojas‐Martinez et al. ). Frugivorous bat species differ in their fruit handling and digestion times, especially in the Neotropics, and thus may not all have equal effects on seed germination (see Laska , Dumont ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous studies of the effect of fruit consumption by bats on seed germination have shown that the probability of seed germination varies with bat and plant species, partly because the seeds of plant species consumed by bats vary in their germination and growth independently of the seed disperser (e.g. Naranjo et al 2003, Rojas-Martinez et al 2015. Frugivorous bat species differ in their fruit handling and digestion times, especially in the Neotropics, and thus may not all have equal effects on seed germination (see Laska 1990, Dumont 1999.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does seed ingestion by bats enhance germination? A new meta‐analysis 15 years later

et al. 2019

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The seed dispersal cycle forms the basis of vegetation establishment and population dynamics. Evidence shows varied results for the role of frugivorous bats, where ingestion and gut passage enhance seed germination for some plant species, but not for others. Using meta‐analysis techniques with a novel data base spanning 31 years of study, we answered the following questions: (1) does seed passage through bat digestive tracts result in higher probability of seed germination than seed pulp removal by humans? (2) Are there effects of seed origin, germination conditions, bat species, and plant species on the probability of seed germination? (3) Is there an effect of fruit bat dietary preferences on the probability of ingested seed germination? And (4) does seed ingestion by bats result in shorter germination time than seed pulp removal by humans? In general, seed passage through bat digestive tracts neither significantly increased the probability of germination nor reduced seed germination time. However, seed germination varied mainly with plant species and bat species, and fewer than 25% of plant species responded to bat gut passage in a positive or negative way. Plant species that were preferred by a species of bat were more likely to germinate after ingestion than non‐preferred plant species, in line with the core plant taxa hypothesis. These results suggest that: (1) the principal role of frugivorous bats in seed dispersal is to transport seeds away from parent plants, (2) handling of fruit by bats does not enhance or hinder seed germination, and (3) germination of the seeds of fruits consumed by bats is idiosyncratic to the bat and plant species in question.

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“…commissarisi, and Leptonycteris yerbabuenae. In the last species the authors suggest that the decrease of seed germination was caused by the acids of the GT, which killed embryos (Rojas-Martinez et al 2015). However, the reduction of germination in nectarivorous bats could also be the opposite, because these bats have simple GTs and when they ingest fruits and seeds the digestion is less efficient (Kelm et al 2008), probably reducing the scarification of seeds and generating the decreased pattern of seed germination that the authors observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Global patterns of seed germination after ingestion by mammals

Torres¹,

Castaño²,

Carranza-Quiceno³

2019

Preprint

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AbstractSeed germination is the first step in seedling recruitment. Understanding what factors determine germination success allows some predictions of the effect of climate change or defaunation on the dynamics of plant communities. Mammals play an important role on seed germination through the ingestion of fruit and seeds. However, the populations of many mammal species have been reduced throughout the world, affecting in many ways the dynamics of plant communities. To understand how the loss of mammal populations might impact the dynamics of plant communities first requires us to collect and synthetize all the available evidence on the effects of mammals on seedling recruitment. Here, we used meta-analytical methods to describe the global patterns of the ingestion of seeds by mammals and their effect on seed germination. Our results showed a positive cumulative effect of mammals on seed germination. However, this effect was not the same for all the mammal orders; it varied depending on the plant family and the bioregion. Additionally, increased seed germination was related to rapid germination. These data highlight the important role that some mammals such as Primates and Elephants have on seed germination, and this poses many questions about the mechanisms behind seed germination patterns that will help to guide future research efforts.

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Effects of seed ingestion by the lesser long-nosed batLeptonycteris yerbabuenaeon the germination of the giant cactusIsolatocereus dumortieri

Cited by 12 publications

References 45 publications

Global patterns in seed germination after ingestion by mammals

Global patterns in seed germination after ingestion by mammals

Does seed ingestion by bats enhance germination? A new meta‐analysis 15 years later

Global patterns of seed germination after ingestion by mammals

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