Seed dispersal in Zamiaceae (Cycadales) and first observation of seed consumption in Zamia manicata

Abstract

Abstract Seed dispersal by animals in cycads is assumed to be rare. We conducted a literature review of seed dispersal by animals in species of the family Zamiaceae. We found 71 reports of plant–animal interactions with cycad seeds, primarily involving birds and small to medium‐sized mammals acting as consumers, predators, or potential dispersal agents. Among these, only six studies included systematic measurements of effective dispersal. In addition, we carried out a study of primary and secondary seed dispersal by animals in Zamia manicata in Colombia. We used camera traps for recording animal interactions with female cones with mature seeds; and a seed marking experiment to explore the movement of seeds away from the immediate vicinity of the parental plant after cone disintegration. For Z. manicata, we observed a potential primary seed disperser, Baryphthengus martii, a medium‐sized bird of the Momotidae family. We registered a small percentage (6%) of seeds initially dispersed by gravity moved away from the parental plant more than 10 m of distance. These results and other recent evidence suggest that animal dispersal events might play a role on the population ecology of species in the Zamiaceae family.