DOI: 10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw771
title: Data from: Frugivory by three species of lizards in Madagascar: Implication for their ecological roles as seed dispersers

description: Animal-mediated seed dispersal, particularly endozoochory, is an important
 ecological process for numerous plant species. While most research on
 endozoochory has focused on birds and mammals, some lizards are also known
 to consume fruits and play a significant role in seed dispersal. However,
 lizards remain overlooked as frugivores and seed dispersers. To clarify
 the role of lizards as seed dispersers in forest ecosystems, we conducted
 behavioral observations and fecal analyses on three diurnal lizard
 species: Furcifer oustaleti, Oplurus cuvieri, and Zonosaurus laticaudatus
 in a tropical dry forest in Ankarafantsika National Park, northwestern
 Madagascar, during the wet seasons from 2022 to 2024 (two years). We also
 conducted germination trials on seeds defecated by F. oustaleti and O.
 cuvieri. We captured 89, 254, and 38 individuals of the three lizard
 species, and 15.8%, 20.1%, and 24.7% of the individuals had seeds in their
 feces, respectively. Behavioral observations and fecal analyses revealed
 that F. oustaleti, O. cuvieri, and Z. laticaudatus consumed fruits from 8,
 18, and 8 plant species. For individuals with seeds in their feces, the
 mean number of defecated seeds per individual was 27.2 (range: 1–300), and
 we confirmed that some of these species had substantial germination rates
 (&gt; 50%). Moreover, lizards tended to consume different plant
 species compared to the Common Brown Lemur (Eulemur fulvus), a principal
 seed disperser in this forest. These lizards may therefore play important
 roles as seed dispersers, and their contribution to forest regeneration in
 Madagascar should be considered.
description: # Frugivory by three species of lizards in Madagascar: Implication for
 their ecological roles as seed dispersers Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw771](10.5061/dryad.v9s4mw771) ## Description of the
 data and file structure 1\. Title of Dataset: Frugivory by three species
 of lizards in Madagascar: implication for their ecological roles as seed
 dispersers 2\. Author Information A. Principal Investigator Contact
 Information Name: Ryobu Fukuyama Institution: Department of Zoology,
 Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University Address: Kitashirakawa
 Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan Email:
 [ryoubuf@gmail.com](mailto:ryoubuf@gmail.com) B. Associate or
 Co-investigator Contact Information Name: Wataru Noyori Institution:
 Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University Name: Shuichiro Tagane
 Institution: Kagoshima University Museum, Kagoshima University Name:
 Shouta Iyoda Institution: Department of Zoology, Graduate School of
 Science, Kyoto University Name: Hiroki Sato Institution: Graduate School
 for Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University 3\. Date of data
 collection: 2022 to 2024 4\. Geographic location of data collection
 : 16°18'48"S, 46°49'01"E
 ### Files and variables #### File:
 Dryad\_repository\_Fukuyama\_et\_al\_BITR-24-351.R3\_final.xlsx
 **Description:**  ##### Variables Fecal Analysis * Lizard species: the
 species of lizard that consumed fruit. Each row represents data from one
 individual lizard.  * Number of intact seeds: the number of intact seeds
 found in fecal sample of the individual. * Number of damaged seeds: the
 number of damaged seeds found from fecal sample of the individual. * Plant
 species: the species of plant seeds which were consumed by the lizard.
 Seed size * Plant species: the species of plant seeds which consumed by
 the lizard. Each row represents data from one seed.  * Seed length: the
 length (in mm) of the longest axis of the seed. * Seed width: the width
 (in mm) of the second-longest axis of the seed. * Lizard species: the
 species of lizard which consumed fruit. Frugivory and SVL * Lizard
 species: the species of lizard used in the fecal analysis. Each row
 represents data from one individual lizards.  * Frugivory: a binary value
 (0 or 1), where 0 indicates that no seed was found in fecal sample, and 1
 indicates that seeds were found. * Sex: the sex of the lizard. * SVL: the
 snout-vent length (in mm) of the lizard.