Seed Dispersal by the Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) in South India1

2002/09/01 by P. G. Sreekumar, Parameswaran G. Sreekumar, M. Balakrishnan · 2 citations
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Bat Biology and Ecology Studies

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00564.x

Abstract

ABSTRACT Previous studies have shown that sloth bears are mainly myrmecophagous, but in this study, 39 and 83 percent (wet and dry season, respectively) of scats surveyed in South India contained fruits. Seeds from three of six plant species collected from scats germinated faster than seeds not passing through bears; germination percentage was not higher in any of the six species. These results suggest that the sloth bear may play an important role in the population dynamics of fleshy‐fruited species of the region.

Cited by

• Fruit phenology of Prunus jamasakura and the feeding habit of the Asiatic black bear as a seed disperser
• Habitat occupancy of sloth bear Melursus ursinus in Chitwan National Park, Nepal. [europepmc]

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