College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China.
PLoS One. 2021 Feb 26;16(2):e0247585. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247585. eCollection 2021.
Seed dispersal is a key component of the interactions between plants and animals. There is little research on the effects of lizard seed dispersal, which is more common on islands than elsewhere. In this study, the effects of the passage of Capparis spinosa seeds through Teratoscincus roborowskii lizard digestive tracts on the seed coats, water uptake rates and germination rates were investigated. In addition, the spatial patterns of fecal deposition by lizards in various microhabitats were assessed. Our results showed that the mean retention time (MRT) of mealworms was significantly longer than that of C. spinosa seeds in both adult and juvenile lizards. The defecation rate of C. spinosa tended to be lower than that of mealworms, which might be beneficial for seed dispersal. It was determined that the longer MRT of C. spinosa seeds enhanced the permeability of the seed coats, which promoted fast water uptake, broke seed dormancy and increased the seed germination rate. Furthermore, the seeds that passed through the digestive tracts of lizards were deposited in favorable germination microhabitats. By enhancing seed germination and depositing intact and viable seeds in safe potential recruitment sites, the lizard T. roborowskii acts, at least qualitatively, as an effective disperser of C. spinosa.
种子传播是植物与动物相互作用的关键组成部分。关于蜥蜴传播种子的影响的研究很少，而蜥蜴在岛屿上比在其他地方更为常见。在这项研究中，研究了通过 Teratoscincus roborowskii 蜥蜴消化道传播 Capparis spinosa 种子对种皮、吸水率和发芽率的影响。此外，还评估了蜥蜴在不同微生境中粪便沉积的空间模式。研究结果表明，在成年和幼年蜥蜴中，黄粉虫的平均停留时间（MRT）明显长于 Capparis spinosa 种子。C. spinosa 的排粪率往往低于黄粉虫，这可能有利于种子传播。研究还发现，较长的 MRT 增强了种皮的渗透性，促进了快速吸水，打破了种子休眠，提高了种子发芽率。此外，通过蜥蜴消化道的种子被沉积在有利于发芽的微生境中。通过增强种子发芽，并将完整且有活力的种子沉积在安全的潜在繁殖地，蜥蜴 T. roborowskii 至少在质量上充当了 Capparis spinosa 的有效传播者。
