Afzelia africana (Caesalpiniaceae): a study of seed predation in a woody savanna zone of Burkina Faso.

摘要

An experiment is described, designed to investigate the role of the arillate seeds, fire and seed predation on seed germination, development and survival of Afzelia africana, an important savanna woodland species in Burkina Faso which exhibits poornatural regeneration in the classified Nazinon forest. Two plots (one burned, one protected from fire for a year and a half) were selected, and seed mixtures comprising arillate seeds, non-arillate seeds, or a mixture of the two, were scattered on the surface. The numbers of seeds, and remnants and evidence of predation, were observed daily. On the burned plot, seeds disappeared rapidly, so that after a week 90% of seeds had been predated. On the unburned plot, less than 20% of seeds had disappeared after a week. Seeds with an aril disappeared relatively more quickly. Main predators, from seed remnants, appeared to be birds (Tockus spp.) and rodents (Proechimys spp.). However, the presence of A. africana seeds far from the trial transect and far from seed trees indicated that predators are also dispersal agents.