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Secondary removal of seeds dispersed by chimpanzees in a N igerian montane forest
Author(s) -
Dutton Paul E.,
Chapman Hazel M.,
Moltchanova Elena
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/aje.12138
Subject(s) - montane ecology , seed dispersal , biology , biological dispersal , botany , ecology , population , medicine , environmental health
The effectiveness of chimpanzees as seed dispersers may be influenced by the secondary removal and/or dispersal of seeds by other taxa. This study documents species involvement and their influences on seed treatments (fresh seed, dry seed and seeds rubbed in fresh chimpanzee faeces). Field experiments conducted on ten large‐seed species consumed by chimpanzees in a N igerian montane forest showed that secondary seed removal after 24 h varied between species. After 96‐h, seed removal still varied between species, but no previous significant differences were observed among treatments, which suggested treatment becomes insignificant with time. Dispersal by chimpanzees may be more important for some large‐seeded species than others. The taxa removing seeds varied across seed species but were mainly restricted to rodents.