Seed attachment by epizoochory depends on animal fur, body height, and plant phenology

Abstract

Various animal species potentially disperse varying amounts of seeds through epizoochory (seed dispersal on animals). However, few studies have compared the contributions of wild animals to epizoochory. Here, we compared the number of seeds of three plants—Achyranthes bidentata, Oplismenus undulatifolius, and Persicaria filiformis—attached to six mammal species: Meles anakuma, Mustela itatsi, Paguma larvata, Procyon lotor, Nyctereutes procyonoides, and Vulpes vulpes. We also investigated the effects of animal fur traits and height overlaps between animal body parts and seed-set positions. To evaluate the phenological effects, we conducted surveys in October and December. The number of seeds attached to the animal dummies differed among the mammal species and was significantly influenced by hair length and height overlap. Seed-set height changed overtime as the plants withered, which introduced seasonal variation in the disperser species. We conclude that epizoochorous seeds can be dispersed by various medium-sized mammals during their long period of availability. The number of seeds dispersed depends on the hair length, the height of the animal and, the seed-set position, and season.