DOI: 10.5061/dryad.3n5tb2rtj
title: Gut passage in frugivores enhances the germination of mistletoe seeds Bakerella gonoclada, in a Madagascar rainforest

description: In Madagascar's rainforests, frugivores influence Bakerella gonoclada
 mistletoe seed dispersal and germination. Our germination experiments show
 that mistletoe seeds defecated by lemurs had significantly higher
 germination success, germination speed, hypocotyl growth, and survival
 probability than seeds planted directly from mistletoe. These results
 suggest a mutualistic relationship between mistletoe and lemurs.
description: The study was conducted in Talatakely, a region within Ranomafana
 National Park (RNP), a lowland to montane rainforest located in
 southeastern Madagascar (47°18’- 47°37’E and 21°02’- 21°25’S). Talatakely
 is a degraded forest characterized by many shrub species in the families
 of Rubiaceae and Myrsinaceae, bamboo, epiphytes, and mistletoes (Atsalis,
 1999; Turk, 1997); some areas are invaded by the exotic plant strawberry
 guava (<em>Psidium cattleianum</em>). To
 investigate mistletoe biology, we compared the probability and speed of
 germination of <em>Bakerella</em> seeds defecated by lemurs to
 seeds pulled directly from mistletoe fruits by the experimenter,
 hereinafter referred to as ‘hand-removed seeds’, in Petri dish
 experiments. From January to April 2023, we followed four groups of
 red-fronted brown lemurs (<em>Eulemur rufifrons</em>) on
 alternate days from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Whenever a group defecated, we
 noted the age class and sex of individuals. We checked defecated feces for
 mistletoe seeds; any feces containing <em>Bakerella</em> seeds
 were wrapped in aluminum foil for lab analysis. Additionally, on January
 19, 2023, we searched Talatakely trails for fresh frugivore droppings and
 collected seeds from one sample of a lemur, which we suspected to come
 from a greater dwarf lemur (<em>Cheirogaleus major</em>),
 based on previous direct observations (Fenosoa et al., 2020), because the
 sample contained only <em>Bakerella</em> seeds wrapped in a
 viscin thread but no fecal matter. Attempts were made to collect
 <em>Bakerella</em> seeds from the feces of the brown mouse
 lemur, <em>Microcebus rufus</em>, using
 capture-release-recapture methods but were unsuccessful.
 <em>Bakerella</em> species in RNP are identified by
 shape, color, and size (Fenosoa et al., prep.). We found that all
 defecated mistletoe seeds collected (from <em>Eulemur rufifrons
 </em>and, putatively, from<em> Cheirogaleus major</em>)
 were <em>B. gonoclada</em>. To compare the germination of
 defecated to hand-removed seeds, we picked 30 mature fruits from four
 individual plants of <em>B. gonoclada</em>. We planted all
 defecated and hand-removed seeds immediately on the evening of the
 collection day. Defecated and hand-removed seeds were planted in separate
 disposable Petri dishes of a 9 cm diameter; seeds from the same individual
 source were planted in the same dish. The seeds in each Petri dish were
 set on filter paper with at least 1 cm spacing between the seeds. All
 dishes were left under the same natural conditions with no direct
 sunlight. We monitored seed and seedling survival and germination, defined
 as the first visible appearance of the hypocotyl-radicle tip. We recorded
 the final length of the hypocotyl-radicle after 12 weeks of
 observation.
description: # Gut passage in frugivores enhances the germination of mistletoe seeds
 Bakerella gonoclada, in a Madagascar rainforest
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3n5tb2rtj](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3n5tb2rtj) ## Description of the data and file structure To investigate mistletoe biology, we compared the probability and speed of germination of *Bakerella* seeds defecated by lemurs to seeds pulled directly from mistletoe fruits by the experimenter, hereinafter referred to as ‘hand-removed seeds’, in Petri dish experiments. From January to April 2023, we followed four groups of red-fronted brown lemurs (*Eulemur rufifrons*) on alternate days from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Whenever a group defecated, we noted the age class and sex of individuals. Additionally, on January 19, 2023, we searched Talatakely trails for fresh frugivore droppings and collected seeds from one sample of a lemur, which we suspected to come from a greater dwarf lemur (*Cheirogaleus major*). We found that all defecated mistletoe seeds collected (from *Eulemur rufifrons* and, putatively, from *Cheirogaleus major*) were *B. gonoclada*. To compare the germination of defecated to hand-removed seeds, we picked 30 mature fruits from four individual plants of *B. gonoclada* (Table 1). We planted all defecated and hand-removed seeds immediately on the evening of the collection day. Defecated and hand-removed seeds were planted in separate disposable Petri dishes of a 9 cm diameter; seeds from the same individual source were planted in the same dish. The seeds in each Petri dish were set on filter paper with at least 1 cm spacing between the seeds. All dishes were left under the same natural conditions with no direct sunlight. We monitored seed and seedling survival and germination, defined as the first visible appearance of the hypocotyl-radicle tip. We recorded the final length of the hypocotyl-radicle after 12 weeks of observation. ### Files and variables #### File: germ\_bak\_gonoclada.csv **Description:**  ##### Variables * **seed_id**: the identity of each seed  * **seed_type**: the seeds were collected from a feces of frugivores or directly from the fruits of plant * **source_seed**: the origin of the seeds. If seeds were collected from the same plant or different plants, example BCB_A and BCB_B  * **Bak_sp**: Bakerella species * **germ_Y_N**: seeds germinated (coded as 1) or not (coded as 0) * **time_to_germ:** how many days of each seed took to germinate from the planting date * **time_to_death**: days that each seed took to die after planting * **hypocot_lgth_final**: the final length of the green radicle of the germinated seeds at the end of the experiment (in mm) * **leaves_lgth_final**: the final length of the pair of leaves of the germinated seeds at the end of the experiment (in mm) * **plant_date**: planting date ## Access information Other publicly accessible locations of the data: * N/A Data was derived from the following sources: * field collection in Talatakely, a region within Ranomafana National Park (RNP), a lowland to montane rainforest located in southeastern Madagascar