Frugivory and seed dispersal by four species of primates in Madagascar's eastern rain forest
Frugivory and seed dispersal by four species of primates in Madagascar's eastern rain forest
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1744-7429.1998.tb00076.x
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发表时间：
1998-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.1
通讯作者：
Wright, P
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dew, JL;Wright, P
在马达加斯加热带雨林独特的动物群组合中，狐猴似乎扮演着特别重要的角色，它们是散布种子的食果动物。对马达加斯加东部雨林中四种狐猴的取食生态和种子传播进行了为期三个月的研究，发现三种狐猴是种子传播者，三种狐猴是种子传播者，第四种狐猴是种子捕食者。在萌发试验中，狐猴经过的种子比未经过狐猴的种子萌发得更快，数量也更多。在研究期间，对69个产生肉质水果的当地植物分类群的果实形态进行了分析，发现这些水果分为两个明确的颜色类别，它们与果实大小显著相关。直径大于10 mm的肉质水果有77%被涂成绿色、棕色、棕色、紫色或黑色，而直径小于10 mm的水果则被涂成红色、黄色、橙色、粉色、蓝色或白色。三种引进的外来植物物种提供了这种模式的例外，果实大于10毫米，粉红色或橙色。在这项研究中，灵长类动物选择的水果直径通常大于10毫米，几乎所有的水果都被涂成绿色、棕色、棕色、紫红色或这些颜色的某种组合。在散播种子的狐猴的食物中，多个植物类群的果实共有的形态特征表明马达加斯加热带雨林植物和狐猴之间可能存在共同进化的关系。
In the unique fauna assemblage of the Malagasy rain forest, lemurs appear to play particularly important roles as seed-dispersing frugivores. A three-month study of feeding ecology and seed dispersal by four species of lemurs in Madagascar's eastern rain forest found that three species, Eulemur rubriventer, Eulemur fulvus, and Varecia variegata were seed dispersers, and the fourth, Propithecus diadema, was a seed predator. In germination trials, seeds passed by lemurs sprouted significantly faster and in greater numbers than those not passed by lemurs. Analysis of fruit morphologies of 69 local plant taxa producing fleshy fruits during the study period found that these fruits fell into two well-defined color categories that correlated significantly with fruit size. Seventy seven percent of fleshy fruits greater than 10 mm in diameter were colored green, brown, tan, purplish, or black, while all fruits less than 10 mm in diameter were colored red, yellow, orange, pink, blue, or white. Three introduced exotic plant species provided exceptions to this pattern, producing fruits which were larger than 10 mm and pink or orange. Fruits chosen by the primates in this study were usually larger than 10 mm in diameter and were in nearly all cases colored green, brown, tan, purplish, red, or some combination of these colors. Morphological traits shared by fruits of multiple plant taxa in the diets of seed-dispersing lemurs suggest possible coevolved relationships between Malagasy rain forest plants and lemurs.