Long-Term Seed Dispersal within an Asymmetric Lizard-Plant Interaction

For 24 years, we studied the interaction of the endemic Balearic lizard Podarcis lilfordi) and the dead horse arum (Helicodiceros muscivorus) on Aire Island, a small coastal islet of the Balearic Archipelago (Spain). From a small initial plant population, the frugivorous activity of lizards apparently resulted in an extraordinary increase in plant abundance over the entirety of Aire Island. The intensity of seed dispersal by lizards was higher in years with lower rainfall and, consequently, with lower availability of other food resources. Thus, the fruits of the dead horse arum were an alternative food strongly exploited during years of food shortage. Leer más.