Frugivoria e dispersão de sementes pelo Jabuti-Piranga Chelonoidis carbonaria

• Autor(a) principal: Rodrigues, Laís Lautenschlager [UNESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2016
• Tipo de documento: Trabalho de conclusão de curso
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/11449/156035; http://www.athena.biblioteca.unesp.br/exlibris/bd/capelo/2017-08-24/000890059.pdf
• topic: Sementes; Frugivoria; Jabutis; Plantas - Reprodução; Germinação; Sementes - Viabilidade; Sementes - Disseminação; Ecologia vegetal

Seed dispersion plays a key role in plant reproduction and the failure in this process can jeopardize the establishment and survival of plant species. Several studies addressing the dispersal of seeds by birds and mammals, while saurochory - dispersion by reptiles - receives relatively little attention. This study aims to understand if red-footed tortoises (Chelonoidis carbonaria) can be considered as potential seed dispersers. So, native or exotic species of fruits was offered, with variations in their seed sizes, noting the ability of individuals to feed themselves and swallow; we recorded the retention time of the seeds in the digestive system of individuals and after defecation, a seed germination test occurred in order to verify if the passage through the digestive system of tortoises changes the germination and/or affect the seeds' viability. A total of 40 species of seeds were offered to individuals, obtaining a maximum of 23mm diameter swallowed. In the retention time test, with Jacaratia spinosa species was obtained 3-14 days (mean 8 days); Genipa americana, 6-28 days (mean 17 days), Syagrus romanzoffiana and Euterpe edulis approximately 5-17 days (mean 10 days) of retention. The germination rate varied between species, so in J. spinosa and S. romanzoffiana was verified positive influences, i.e. defecated seeds germinated faster than those grown without treatment (control). Subsequently, the tetrazolium test was performed with the remaining seeds and it was observed that in all cases the viability rate was higher with defecated species than the control; was not performed tetrazolium test with E. edulis because all defecated seeds had its embryo damaged and/or rotted. We conclude that Jabuti-Piranga (Chelonoidis carbonaria), being able to swallow seeds and positively influencing the germination of seeds, can be used as ecologic substitutes in catering areas where there is a lack of large dispersers, due to the consequences of...