Evaluation of the seedvigor of Tournefortia paniculata Cham. post-digestive tract of the ruby-crowned tanager Tachyphonus coronatus (Vieillot, 1822)

Endozoochory (dispersion with passage through the digestive system of animals) is one of the most important processes. It is included in the ecological process known as dispersive mutualism, benefit the species involved. The most used method to evaluate the physiological quality of seeds is carried out based on the traditional germination test. However, electrical conductivity tests with seeds of forest species are still scarce, especially those developed with the individual method, which provide greater fidelity to the results so that through this one can define the test by the mass methods. The current work aimed to investigate the vigor, from the electrical conductivity of the seeds of Tournefortia paniculata Cham. after passage through the digestive tract of a ruby-crowned tanager Tachyphonus coronatus (Vieillot, 1822). An expedition was conducted in a fragmented area of Atlantic Forest in process of reforestation in the campus of the IFRJ. After the capture of the passerine with mist nets, proceeded the identification of seeds shed in its feces. The experimental design was completely randomized with one treatments with five replicates. The results allowed concluded that the seed of the T. paniculata Cham. after digestive tract of the ruby-crowned tanager presented high electrical conductivity in three of its replicates at the individual level