DIFFERENTIAL GERMINATION OF 2 CLOSELY RELATED SPECIES OF SOLANUM IN RESPONSE TO BIRD INGESTION

Evaluated the effect which ingestion of seeds of Solanum nigrum and S. luteum by bulbuls Pycnonotus xanthopygos and blackbirds Turdus merula had on their germination. Whereas S. nigrum is a noxious weed invariably associated with human disturbed habitats, S. luteum may also occur in natural plant associations. Germination of seeds of S. nigrum was not affected by ingestion by either birds. Germination of S. luteum was significantly improved by their ingestion by either species; germination and dispersal of this more arid species which grows in unstable habitats is mediated largely by birds, whereas the germination of S. nigrum seeds is not affected by avian ingestion, birds serving only as dispersal agents. -from Authors