Abstract

GRENHA, Viviane; MACEDO, Margarete V.; PIRES, Alexandra S.  and  MONTEIRO, Ricardo F.. The role of Cerradomys Subflavus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) as seed predator and disperser of the palm Allagoptera arenaria. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2010, vol.17, n.1, pp.61-68. ISSN 0327-9383.

Small rodents are among the most abundant vertebrate seed predators in the tropics and palm fruits are a rich source of energy for them. Allagoptera arenaria is a nurse plant species at restinga vegetation in southeastern Brazil. Forty-five adult A. arenaria were marked to estimate fruit crop size and seed predation by rodents. Two trapping sessions were carried out to identify the rodent seed predators. In addition, a fruit removal experiment was conducted to investigate the role of rodents as seed dispersers. Of the 7409 seeds collected, 24% were damaged by rodents. Predation rates ranged from 0 to 64% per plant and the number and the proportion of damaged seeds increased significantly with crop size. In the removal experiments, 64% of the fruits were manipulated by rodents either in situ or away from palms: 16% were preyed in the same place, 29% were preyed following removal, 2% were dispersed and 12% were buried. Seed fate could not be identified for 5% of the seeds. Cerradomys subflavus was the only species caught and this fact together with its abundance in the study area and tooth marks left in the endocarps indicates that this rodent is the main seed predator of this palm. Considering this, C. subflavus should play a key role in A. arenaria population dynamics through the reduction of the total number of seeds that may be recruited. However, seed burial in sites favorable for germination suggests that this rodent can act also as seed disperser of this palm.

Keywords : Arecaceae; Rodentia; Seed dispersal; Seed predation; Arecaceae; Depredación de semillas; Dispersión de semillas; Rodentia.

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