Endozoochorous seed dispersal by Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) in Taehwa Research Forest, South Korea

Abstract

Endozoochorous seed dispersal by ungulates can facilitate the dispersal of seeds over long distances. Endozoochorous seed dispersal can also result in the ecological filtering of plant species by dispersing plant seeds with distinctive traits. The Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) is a potential long-distance seed dispersal vector in lowland areas of South Korea. In this study, to test the endozoochorous seed dispersal role of Korean water deer in forested areas, we collected 202 fresh fecal pellet group samples in Taehwa Research Forest, Gwangju City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Additionally, we conducted a vegetation survey to compare the traits of dispersed seeds from feces with the seed traits of flora in the study site. To test whether the composition of species traits dispersed by endozoochory is consistent with that of lowland areas, which consist of forested hills, arable land, and wetlands, we compared the results with a former study conducted in the lowlands. From the seedling emergence method applied to feces, we found a total of 22 species and 115 seedlings. Among 202 fecal pellet groups, 19.8% had at least one germinable seed. Species of forbs, with small-sized seeds (≤2 mm in length), from open habitat, and seeds without special morphology for dispersal are most frequently dispersed through Korean water deer endozoochory. These traits were consistent with the former endozoochory study conducted in a lowland area, irrespective of the different available flora. Therefore, we suggest that deer can potentially disperse seeds with the aforementioned traits to forest plant communities, acting as a consistent ecological filter through endozoochory.