Dispersal and germination of Prosopis flexuosa (Fabaceae) seeds by desert mammals in Argentina.

CLAUDIA MONICA CAMPOS; OJEDA, RA

Journal of Arid Environments

Año: 1997 vol. 35 p. 707 - 714

0140-1963

The “algarrobo” Prosopis flexuosa is an important food resource in the Monte desert of Argentina. Native, domestic, and exotic mammals consume the fruit of this legume and disperse the seed through faeces. In the present study we analyze the effect that different dispersal agents (cattle, horse, European wild boar, rodents, gray fox) have on seed damage, viability, and germination. Cattle increase germination at the expense of reduced viability, whereas horses maintain viability but do not contribute to a prompt germination response. Among native mammals, the gray fox maintains seed viability without increasing germination, whereas rodents affect seed viability but enhance germination rates. The European wild boar instead damages all of the seeds it consumes.