1. Galápagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) as a seed disperser
- Author
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Pablo Vargas, Manuel Nogales, Jens M. Olesen, Patricia Jaramillo, Anna Traveset, Rubén H. Heleno, and Beatriz Rumeu
- Subjects
ISLAND ,0106 biological sciences ,Pollination ,Seed dispersal ,Endangered species ,Galápagos Islands Saurochory ,Introduced species ,Germination ,ECOLOGY ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,DIET ,Feces ,Abundance (ecology) ,biology.animal ,Fernandina Island ,Seed Dispersal ,GREEN IGUANA ,Animals ,PLANTS ,Iguana ,biology ,Ecology ,010604 marine biology & hydrobiology ,Conolophus subcristatus ,food and beverages ,Galapagos Islands Saurochory ,15. Life on land ,FOREST ,biology.organism_classification ,FERNANDINA ,Seeds ,Iguanas ,Animal Science and Zoology ,Ecuador - Abstract
The role of the most common land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus) in the Galápagos Islands as an effective seed disperser is explored in this study. A total of 5705 seeds of 32 plant species were identified from 160 scats, 4545 of which (80%) appeared visually undamaged. Germination trials of 849 seeds from 29 species revealed that at least 10 species remained viable after passing through the iguana's gut, although only a small proportion of those seeds (4%) germinated. In any case, we argue that C. subcristatus exerts an important role on the 7 Galapagos islands where it occurs because of its abundance and capacity to ingest and disperse seeds at long distances. Our results strongly suggest that the Galápagos C. subcristatus plays an important role as a seed disperser of not only of native species but also some introduced plants in the Galápagos Islands.
- Published
- 2016
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