Skip to main content
Dryad

Data from: frugivory by carnivores: black-backed jackals are key dispersers of seeds of the scented !nara melon in the Namib desert

Data files

Aug 12, 2024 version files 99.74 KB

Abstract

Carnivorous mammals have been reported to feed on fleshy fruits and to disperse seeds, but these interactions are seldom observed and are poorly understood. Scent may play a key role in these interactions, given that most carnivores have sensitive olfactory systems and dichromatic vision. The !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus: Cucurbitaceae) in the Namib desert produces large (10 – 20 cm diameter) melons that remain green while undergoing increased volatile emissions with a changing chemical profile as they ripen. Using extensive camera trapping, we found that the fruits are consumed mainly by black-backed jackals and rarely also by other carnivores such as cape fox and brown hyaena. Scent cues play a key role as jackals mainly sought fruits at night and easily located ripe fruits buried beneath the sand. Seeds retrieved from jackal scat showed improved germination relative to un-ingested seeds. This study highlights the importance of fruit scent in mediating seed-dispersal mutualisms involving mammalian carnivores.