Abstract
The objective with this study was to verify whether frugivorous bat Artibeus lituratus can be considered an efficient germination inducer for Cecropia pachystachya seeds. Bats and fruits were collected in Campo Grande (Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil), with the experiment being divided in five treatments: one composed by seeds taken from natural fresh fruits, another with seeds taken from the bats’ excrements, and the last one sub-divided in three sub-groups with different acid treatments that corresponded to pH 1, 2 and 3. The seeds that passed through the digestive tract of the animals presented a higher germination velocity index (p < 0.05). The germination rate was not different (p > 0.05) when compared with the seeds without any treatment. The treatment with pH = 3 was statistically the same as the group without treatment and the as experimental group with the seeds taken of the excrements, indicating an approximated value to the stomach acids of this frugivorous species. Artibeus lituratus can be considered a germination velocity inducer for seeds of this plant species, showing the ecological importance of these frugivorous bats in the natural environment support in areas of Brazilian savannas (Cerrado).
Highlights
O sucesso reprodutivo das espécies vegetais superiores, muitas vezes, depende de a semente encontrar um local propício para sua germinação e estabelecimento, o que pode ser facilitado pela dispersão das sementes pela fauna (Fenner, 1985)
The objective with this study was to verify whether frugivorous bat Artibeus lituratus can be considered an efficient germination inducer
Bats and fruits were collected in Campo Grande
Summary
O material coletado (morcegos e infrutescências) foi obtido na região urbana do município de Campo Grande, Estado do Mato Grosso do Sul, em uma avenida central da cidade – Avenida Mato Grosso – onde existem várias árvores de Cecropia pachystachya, permitindo grande fluxo de morcegos. As infrutescências de C. pachystachya que se encontravam maduras, em um total de 12, foram coletadas em abril/2004, com auxílio de podão, armazenadas e transportadas em sacos de papel até o Laboratório de Chiroptera da Universidade para o Desenvolvimento do Estado e da Região do Pantanal (Uniderp). Os cinco tratamentos foram: (1) sementes que passaram pelo sistema digestório dos animais, com um total de 150 sementes em três placas com 50 sementes cada uma A. 0,1), com um total de 150 sementes em três placas, com 50 sementes cada uma, (3) sementes tratadas com ácido clorídrico (HCl) a 0,01 N A. 0,01), com um total de 150 sementes, em três placas com 50 sementes cada uma; (4) sementes tratadas com HCl a 0,001 N Os tratamentos 0,1 N, 0,01 N e 0,001 N permitiram obter soluções com pH 1, 2 e 3, respectivamente, simulando possível concentração ácida do sistema digestório dos animais
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