Small-sized fish as possible seed dispersers: disclosing novel fish and plant species interactions in the Pantanal wetland

ABSTRACT

Seed dispersion is a critical process to vegetation dynamics which is particularly complex in mosaic-like landscapes as the Pantanal wetlands. We analyzed some aspects of ichthyochory in the Pantanal flooded grasslands. The fish were collected and had their whole intestinal contents removed and submitted to suitable germination conditions for 179 days. We collected 661 specimens belonging to 40 species. Feces from Astyanax lacustris, Poptela paraguayensis, Moenkhausia sanctafilomena and Moenkhausia bonita produced 15 seedlings of herbaceous plant of the species Ludwigia inclinata, Ludwigia leptocarpa and a non-identified monocotyledon. A total of 30.4 g of fecal mass was recovered with a rate of 0.49 seedling.gram^?1. There is a positive relation between the number of seedlings obtained and the amount of fish fecal mass (g). Currently, Pantanal landscape dynamics is under rising pressure of field compartmentalization due to man-made roads which restrains fish transit.