Swida amomum seed germination

Premise: Effective seed dispersal is essential in population dynamics of plant species. Swida amomum (Silky dogwood) exhibits a dispersal syndrome characteristic of autumn-ripening shrubs with fleshy fruits, where attached fruits are ingested and defecated by birds while fallen fruits are consumed by ground-foraging birds and mammals. Methods: We documented that fallen fruits of this shrub were consumed by two aquatic turtle species (Eastern painted turtle, Chrysemys picta and Red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta) and that their seeds were defecated.  We compared germination success (percentage of seeds germinated) of defecated seeds, seeds collected from pond surface, and seeds removed from shrubs. Results: While four seed taxa were identified in fecal samples, seeds of S. amomum were the most frequent (93%) among samples and the most numerous (106 seeds) in any sample. Average proportion of fecal seeds germinated (85.99%) exceeded that of seeds from pond surface (82.76%) and from shr...