Gut Passage in Lemurs Enhances the Germination of Mistletoe Seeds Bakerella gonoclada, in a Madagascar Rainforest

Abstract

In Madagascar's rainforests, we lack knowledge of the natural history of mistletoe, a hemiparasitic plant that is an essential food source and habitat for many animals. Here, we compared the germination success and survival of Bakerella gonoclada mistletoe seeds that were defecated by lemurs with seeds hand-removed from fruits to assess the effects of lemur gut passage on germination. We found that mistletoe seeds defecated by lemurs had significantly higher germination success, germination speed, hypocotyl growth, and survival probability than hand-removed seeds, demonstrating that lemurs enhance the germination of this species. These results suggest a mutualistic relationship between mistletoe and lemurs.