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 bill or from rodents engaging in scatter-hoarding behaviour. Seedling survival was most successful within bush clumps as compared to grasslands and shade was identified as a primary requirement for seedling survival. Seeds from which the fruit pulp had been removed germinated faster than those in intact fruits. Haemanthus deformis deploys a system of directed seed dispersal, whereby both birds and rodents contribute to dispersal of seeds within patchy bush clumps that are favourable for seedling survival.