Data from: Fruit secondary compounds mediate the retention time of seeds in the guts of Neotropical fruit bats

Plants often recruit frugivorous animals to transport their seeds, however gut passage can have varying effects on plant fitness depending on the physical and chemical treatment of the seed, the distance seeds are transported, and the specific site of deposition. One way in which plants can mediate the effects of gut passage on fitness is by producing fruit secondary compounds that influence gut retention time. Using frugivorous bats (Carollia perspicillata: Phyllostomidae) and Neotropical plants in the genus Piper, we compared gut retention time of seeds among five plant species (P. colonense, P. peltatum, P. reticulatum, P. sancti-felicis, and P. silvivagum) and investigated the role of fruit amides (piperine, piplartine and whole fruit amide extracts from P. reticulatum) in mediating gut retention time. Our results showed interspecific differences in gut retention time; P. reticulatum seeds passed most slowly, while P. silvivagum and P. colonense seeds passed most rapidly. Piplartine and P. reticulatum amide extracts decreased gut retention time, while piperine had no effect. In addition, we examined the effects of gut retention time on seed germination success and speed in laboratory conditions. For germination success, the effects were species-specific; germination success increased with gut retention time for P. peltatum but not for other species. Gut retention time did not influence germination speed in any of the species examined. Plant secondary compounds have primarily been studied in the context of their defensive role against herbivores and pathogens, but may also play a key role in mediating seed dispersal interactions.

植物通常会招募食果动物传播种子，但种子经消化道转运后对植物适合度的影响存在差异，这取决于种子所经历的物理与化学处理、种子的传播距离以及特定的定植位点。植物可通过合成影响消化道滞留时间的果实次生代谢产物，调控消化道转运对其适合度的作用。本研究以食果性蝙蝠（短尾叶口蝠 *Carollia perspicillata*：叶口蝠科（Phyllostomidae））及新热带区胡椒属（*Piper*）植物为研究对象，比较了5个物种（P. colonense、P. peltatum、P. reticulatum、P. sancti-felicis及P. silvivagum）的种子消化道滞留时间，并探究了果实酰胺类物质（胡椒碱（piperine）、长胡椒酰胺（piplartine）以及P. reticulatum全果酰胺提取物）在调控消化道滞留时间中的作用。研究结果显示，不同物种间的种子消化道滞留时间存在显著差异：P. reticulatum的种子滞留时间最长，而P. silvivagum与P. colonense的种子滞留时间最短。长胡椒酰胺与P. reticulatum酰胺提取物可缩短种子消化道滞留时间，而胡椒碱则无此调控效果。此外，本研究在实验室条件下探究了消化道滞留时间对种子萌发成功率与萌发速率的影响。就种子萌发成功率而言，其影响具有物种特异性：P. peltatum的萌发成功率随消化道滞留时间延长而升高，其余物种则无此趋势。在所检测的所有物种中，消化道滞留时间均未对种子萌发速率产生显著影响。植物次生代谢产物的研究既往多聚焦于其对植食动物与病原体的防御功能，但其在调控种子传播互作过程中或也发挥关键作用。