Ecological and biogeographical implications of Yellow-Legged Gulls (Larus cachinnans Pallas) as seed dispersers of Rubia fruticosa Ait. (Rubiaceae) in the Canary Islands

Abstract

Aim Few data sets exist on the role of grulls as seed dispersal agents. Our purpose is to quantify the number of seeds dispersed, to assess damage to the seeds regurgitated and those expelled via cloaca, to check for possible differences in seed viability and germination rates, to study the seed retention time, and to evaluate gulls as adequate dispersal agents throughout the Canary Islands and for the colonization of this archipelago by this palnt species (or its ancestor), from Africa.