On the other hand, they did not provide any direct evidence that seeds defecated by grit-using birds are intact and viable.
The seeds of at least six species were ingested whole and defecated intact.
Faecal samples were obtained from animals that defecated upon handling, and were stored in jars of 10% formalin.
Regurgitated seeds that were deposited within trees were more likely to end up in sites suitable for establishment than defecated seeds.
The estimated percentage of defecated seeds varied between species, ranging from 10 to 23%.
The vast majority (85.4% or 159 out of 186) of seeds defecated by spider monkeys were deposited >100 m away from parental feeding patches.
Each treatment was replicated four times for each species, using 25 seeds (intact fruits, cleaned seeds, defecated seeds) for each replication.
Thus, a significantly higher proportion of regurgitated seeds germinated than defecated seeds.
