Effectiveness of seed dispersal by animals in the fruiting strategies of the Malagasy endemic large-seeded plants

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25870344
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment; Physical anthropology
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Sato Hiroki 京都大学, 霊長類研究所, 研究員 (90625302)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 種子散布 / 植物‐動物間相互作用 / 大型種子植物 / 果実食動物 / キツネザル / マダガスカル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined the effectiveness of seed dispersal by animals for the two species of large-seeded plants in a tropical dry forest in northwestern Madagascar. Both tree species depended only on a largest frugivore, the brown lemur, for seed dispersal. Brown lemurs removed 60-90% of produced seeds by mother trees of Astrotrichilia asterotricha (Meliaceae). The two tree species showed different survival rate and growth rate because of the specific fruiting periods, morphological traits of seeds, and germinating patterns. Therefore, significance of seed dispersal by the brown lemur diversified in the reproductive strategies of plants.

Free Research Field

熱帯生態学