Silva, Bianca Ferreira  Azevedo, Igor Henrique Freitas  Mayhé-Nunes, Antonio  Breier, Tiago Freitas, Andre Felippe Nunes de  <br/><br/>
Ants Promote Germination of the Tree Guarea guidonia by Cleaning its Seeds 

<br/><br/> Publicação on-line; 38 ref.; 3 illus.; Summary (En) 
<br/><br/> <br/><br/>ABSTRACT<br/><br/>Ants interact with seeds, and frequently remove their appendages. This work aimed to evaluate<br/>the effect of ants on the germination of Guarea guidonia (Meliaceae) seeds through removing the<br/>fleshy tissue of their integument (sarcotesta). The seeds were subjected to the following treatments:<br/>control (no sarcotesta removal), manual removal, and removal by ants. The results show that<br/>germination percentage and time varied among treatments, with removal by ants showing the<br/>highest percentage within the shortest possible time. The positive effect of sarcotesta removal<br/>by ants points to a possible action of anti-fungal substances. As germination is an essential step<br/>for recruitment, ant activity may be important to the regeneration of a deforested area. Further<br/>studies should consider germination experiments under natural conditions in order to increase<br/>the understanding on plant development.<br/><br/>Keywords: ant-plant interaction, recruitment, seed germination, Solenopsis, Atlantic Forest. 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>GERMINAÇÃO<br/>SEMENTE<br/>FORMIGA<br/>MATA ATLÂNTICA