Seeds defecated by the latter species showed decreased viability, but the number of seeds tested was small.
The number of seeds that were found deposited in a group also differed depending on whether seeds had been defecated or regurgitated.
The source of such an increase in contamination is likely to be the birds defecating onto one another, as well as upon the crates.
Regurgitated seeds were also more frequently found singly or in small groups than defecated seeds.
Each treatment was replicated four times for each species, using 25 seeds (intact fruits, cleaned seeds, defecated seeds) for each replication.
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.
From the above results, the primate community was estimated to defecate 1129 seeds km-2 d-1.
This does not rule out their possibility as dispersers, however, as there was no evidence that they did not defecate in trees.
