Inhibition by Pulp Juice and Enhancement by Ingestion on Germination of Bird-dispersed Prunus Seeds

概要

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To evaluate what prevents seed germination and why ingestion by birds enhances germination, we carried out germinationexperiments using bird-dispersed seeds of two Prunus species (Prunus sargentii and P. ssiori) in the laboratory. Germination of seedswith following four treatments was compared: "Ingested seeds" excreted after feeding of fruits to birds; "Extracted seeds" deliberately extracted from the fruit pulp; "Juiced seeds" which were supplemented with the juice of the pulp after seeds had been deliberately extracted from the pulp; and "Intact seeds" in untreated whole fruits. Many ingested (27%, 23% in P.sargentii, 18% inp.ssiori) and extracted seeds (24% in P. sargentii, 17% in P. ssiori) germinated, and difference in germination percentages betweeningested and extracted seeds were not significant, for either Prunus species. The Juiced seeds rarely germinated (2% in P. sargentii,6% in P. ssiori), and seeds within intact fruits did not germinate. These results suggest that the fruit pulp and the juice of the pulpinhibit germination and the seeds could germinate without ingestion by birds once they had been manually extracted from pulp. Therefore, it is considered that bird ingestion enhances germination by removing pulp, especially juice of the pulp, in these twoPrunus species.
一般社団法人日本森林学会の論文
2000-08-16