Frugivoria e dispersão de sementes por quatis (Procyonidae : Nasua nasua) no Parque nas Mangabeiras, Belo Horizonte, MG

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

1998

RESUMO

Coatis consumed fruits from 53 species in Parque das Mangabeiras, Belo Horizonte, MG. Fruits characteristics, number of seeds and species composition observed in feces were described in this study. The effect of fruit consumption was determined for seven species and for none of them seeds became unviable. The pericarp removal, after the seed ingestion, was important to increase the success of germination of Myrcia guajavaefolia. After the defecation, seeds of this species and of Lithraea molleoides were removed by rain and, for the last species, also by insect action. The establishment of plants in different intraspecific densities did not influenced the development (measured by dry weight) neither the mortality of the plants species tested. The only exception was L. mOlleoides, in which the mortality percentage was positively correlated with plants density. The maintenance of seeds viability after the passage through the digestive tract, the diversity of used species, the great amount of ingested seeds and its germination and establishment after have been defecated, suggest that coatis are efficient dispersers of seeds. These animals uses different habitats, walking great distances every day and using adjacent forest fragments. They could be important to warrant the genetic flow between fragments and contribute to forest regeneration

ASSUNTO(S)

sementes mamifero competição (biologia)

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