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Dryad

Swida amomum seed germination

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Aug 07, 2022 version files 14.06 KB

Abstract

Premise: Effective seed dispersal is essential in population dynamics of plant species. Swida amomum (Silky dogwood) exhibits a dispersal syndrome characteristic of autumn-ripening shrubs with fleshy fruits, where attached fruits are ingested and defecated by birds while fallen fruits are consumed by ground-foraging birds and mammals. 

Methods: We documented that fallen fruits of this shrub were consumed by two aquatic turtle species (Eastern painted turtle, Chrysemys picta and Red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta) and that their seeds were defecated.  We compared germination success (percentage of seeds germinated) of defecated seeds, seeds collected from pond surface, and seeds removed from shrubs.

Results: While four seed taxa were identified in fecal samples, seeds of S. amomum were the most frequent (93%) among samples and the most numerous (106 seeds) in any sample.  Average proportion of fecal seeds germinated (85.99%) exceeded that of seeds from pond surface (82.76%) and from shrubs (60.24%), albeit the difference in germination success was insignificant. When analyzed using fecal samples from Painted turtles only, the difference in germination success between fecal seeds and those collected from pond or shrub became significant.

Conclusions: Our findings represent the first report of S. amomum seeds being dispersed by turtle gut passage and suggest aquatic turtles could be an important part of a secondary seed dispersal process influencing woody plant community composition in temperate wetland ecosystems.