New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts
Effectiveness of the common gecko (Hoplodactylus maculatus) as
a seed disperser on Mana Island, New Zealand
Debra M. Wotton
School of Biological Sciences
Victoria University of Wellington
P.O. Box 600
Wellington, New Zealand
Present address: 28 Fairburn Grove, Johnsonville, Wellington 6004, New Zealand.
Email: debrawotton@yahoo.co.nz
Abstract A number of recent studies have documented
frugivory by lizards and the effect on seed viability. However, few studies
of seed dispersal by lizards have investigated the quantitative and qualitative
components of disperser effectiveness. I investigated the role of Hoplodactylus
maculatus (common gecko) in frugivory and seed dispersal by measuring
levels of fruit removal, dispersal distances, and the effects of gut passage
and seed deposition patterns on germination success. Common geckos appeared
to be the major frugivore of Coprosma propinqua, removing large quantities
of fruit. Forty percent of gecko droppings collected contained seeds, over
95% of which were from C. propinqua. Common geckos dispersed C.
propinqua seeds up to at least 9.3 m. Ingestion of C. propinqua
seeds by common geckos had no effect on germination success, with 72% of
seeds germinating. Geckos tend to deposit seeds beneath rocks; these microhabitats
appear to be suitable for germination of C. propinqua, with high levels
of mean seed germination (73%). These results provide strong evidence that
fruit is an important component of the diet of Hoplodactylus maculatus,
and that common geckos provide effective seed dispersal for C. propinqua.
Keywords seed dispersal; lizards; frugivory; Hoplodactylus
maculatus; common gecko; disperser effectiveness; Coprosma propinqua
B01051 Received 11 October 2001; accepted 9 August 2002; published 28
November 2002
New Zealand Journal of Botany, 2002, Vol. 40: 639-647
0028-825X/02/4004-0639 $7.00 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2002
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