Facilitative interactions between an exotic mammal and native and exotic plants: hog deer (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Axis porcinus</Emphasis>) as seed dispersers in south-eastern Australia |
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Authors: | Naomi E Davis David M Forsyth Graeme Coulson |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia;(2) Department of Sustainability and Environment, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, 123 Brown Street, Heidelberg, VIC, 3084, Australia |
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Abstract: | Endozoochory by exotic mammalian herbivores could modify vegetation composition by facilitating the dispersal and establishment
of exotic and native plant species. We examined the potential for endozoochoric dispersal of native and exotic plants by exotic
hog deer (Axis porcinus) in south-eastern Australia. We quantified the germinable seed content of hog deer faecal pellets collected in five vegetation
types within a 10,500-ha study area that was representative of their Australian range. Twenty exotic and 22 native species
germinated from hog deer faecal pellets and significantly more native species germinated compared to exotic species. Seedlings
of the encroaching native shrub Acacia longifolia var. sophorae emerged, but no native trees emerged and the percentage of grasses that germinated was low (11%). The species composition
of germinants was similar among the five vegetation types. We estimated that the hog deer population in our study area could
potentially disperse >130,000 viable seeds daily. Our study shows how an exotic mammal can disperse seeds from both native
and invasive plants and highlights the need for endozoochory to be considered more widely in studies assessing the impacts
of exotic mammals on plant communities. |
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