Effect of frugivorous birds on seed dispersal and germination of multi-seeded fruits

Multi-seeded fleshy-fruits of Morus nigra and Solanum luteum were offered to two species of frugivorous birds, Pycnonotus xanthopygos and Turdus merula. The fruits were swallowed whole but the seeds were gradually defecated during a period of a few hours in numbers per feces significantly lower than those within the complete fruit. This pattern of temporal seed deposition might have a positive implication on seed dispersal in space. Different retention times of S. luteum seeds had no effect on their germination success, but as number of seeds per group increases their germination success decreases in both plant species. Therefore, in the case of multi-seeded fruits, bird ingestion plays an important role by reducing the number of seeds per group, which in turn may enhance germination. -from Authors