Haemanthus deformis seed dispersal data

Most plants with fleshy fruits have seeds that are ingested by animals, but a less well-understood mode of seed dispersal involves fleshy fruits containing seeds that are discarded by frugivorous animals because they are too large or toxic to be ingested. We studied the seed dispersal biology of Haemanthus deformis, an amaryllid lily species found in a mosaic of bush clumps in a grassland matrix in South Africa. We asked whether seed dispersal is directed in and among bush clumps and whether germination and survival are greater for seeds dispersed to bush clumps than to those dispersed into grassland. Using camera trapping, we found that fruits are consumed mainly by birds and rodents. The pulp was removed from the seeds which were then discarded without ingestion. Whilst many seeds were dispersed close to the parent plant, most (c. 78.5%) were dispersed further than one meter away from the parent plant. Longer distance dispersal resulted mainly from birds flying off with seeds in their..., ,