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Effects of seed size and toucan regurgitation on the germination of the tropical tree Eugenia uniflora

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 December 2022

Landon R. Jones Open the ORCID record for Landon R. Jones [Opens in a new window] ,
Chelsey A. Hunts ,
Lacy A. Dolan ,
Natasha K. Murphy ,
Gabrielle N. Ripa ,
Emma A. Schultz ,
Varsha S. Shastry ,
Craig A. Sklarczyk ,
Bradly S. Thornton  and
Melanie R. Boudreau
Landon R. Jones*
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Chelsey A. Hunts
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90840, USA
Lacy A. Dolan
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Natasha K. Murphy
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Gabrielle N. Ripa
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Emma A. Schultz
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Varsha S. Shastry
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Craig A. Sklarczyk
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Bradly S. Thornton
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
Melanie R. Boudreau
Affiliation:
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi 39762, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Landon R. Jones, Email: landon.jones@msstate.edu
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Abstract

Understanding the quality of seed dispersal effectiveness of frugivorous species can elucidate how endozoochory structures tropical forests. Large seeds, containing more resources for growth, and gut passage by frugivores, which remove seed pulp, both typically enhance the speed and probability of germination of tropical seeds. However, the interaction of seed size and gut passage has not been well studied. We assessed the role of two species of toucans (Ramphastos spp.) in seed germination of the tropical tree Eugenia uniflora, which produces seeds that vary considerably in size (3.7–14.3 mm), using 151 control and 137 regurgitated seeds in germination trials. We found that toucan regurgitation did not increase germination success, although 93.4% germinated compared to 76.8% of control seeds; however, larger seeds germinated more often at faster rates. Although only marginally significant, germination rates were 3.6× faster when seeds were both large and regurgitated by toucans, demonstrating that toucan regurgitation can disproportionally benefit larger E. uniflora seeds. As tropical forests are increasingly disturbed and fragmented by human activities, the ability of toucans to continue providing seed dispersal services to degraded habitats may be vital to the persistence of many tropical plants that contain larger seeds and depend on larger dispersers.

Keywords

disperser qualityendozoochoryRamphastos ambiguusRamphastos sulfuratusscarificationseed dispersal effectiveness
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 39 , 2024 , e5
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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