02100nab a2200301 i 4500 BR-BrBNA 20260406082413.0 260406b2019 bl.qr|pooa||| 00| 0 eng | BR-BrBNA eng F03 4020 3575 Silva, Bianca Ferreira Azevedo, Igor Henrique Freitas Mayhé-Nunes, Antonio Breier, Tiago Freitas, Andre Felippe Nunes de Ants Promote Germination of the Tree Guarea guidonia by Cleaning its Seeds Publicação on-line; 38 ref.; 3 illus.; Summary (En) ABSTRACT Ants interact with seeds, and frequently remove their appendages. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of ants on the germination of Guarea guidonia (Meliaceae) seeds through removing the fleshy tissue of their integument (sarcotesta). The seeds were subjected to the following treatments: control (no sarcotesta removal), manual removal, and removal by ants. The results show that germination percentage and time varied among treatments, with removal by ants showing the highest percentage within the shortest possible time. The positive effect of sarcotesta removal by ants points to a possible action of anti-fungal substances. As germination is an essential step for recruitment, ant activity may be important to the regeneration of a deforested area. Further studies should consider germination experiments under natural conditions in order to increase the understanding on plant development. Keywords: ant-plant interaction, recruitment, seed germination, Solenopsis, Atlantic Forest. GERMINAÇÃO SEMENTE FORMIGA MATA ATLÂNTICA 2929 347952 Rio de Janeiro-RJ Instituto de Florestas - UFRRJ 1994 2025-0451 Floresta e Ambiente (Brazil) 1415-0980 / ISSN 2179-8087 0nline v. 26(3) p. 1-7; (2019) BR2026000270 https://www.scielo.br/j/floram/a/ccJrrcVSTX5wTFww74mdWwR/?format=pdf&lang=en ANA 341236 341236