Stenocereus queretaroensis (Weber) seeds passage through the digestive tract of frugivorous mammals improves their germination
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Abstract
Stenocereus queretaroensis (Weber), known as ‘Pitayo’, is a species of ecological and nutritional importance in western Mexico. The effect of transit of its seeds through digestive tract of frugivorous mammals on seed germination was studied. Seeds were obtained from fecal samples of the digestive Leptonycteris yerbabuenae (bat), Bassariscus astutus (ringtail), and Lepus sp. (hare). In addition, seeds extracted directly from fruits were involved as a control treatment. Laboratory assays were conducted in Petri dishes containing moistened cotton substrate under uncontrolled environmental temperature and light. Passage of S. queretaroensis seeds through the digestive tract of mammals advances the moment when half of the maximum germination occurs, with respect to the control treatment. It occurs almost a week earlier in the cases of seeds from hare and bat excrement and >8 days earlier in the case of seeds extracted from Cacomixtle excrement. It is concluded that natural seed scarification derived from passage through the digestive tract of mammals enhances both germinability and germination rate of S. queretaroensis, highlighting its eco-physiological importance in the seed dispersal and regeneration processes of this cactus species in western Mexico.
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