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The Role of Rats (Family Muridae) as Seed Dispersal Agents in
Kenyir Forest Area, Terengganu
Muhammad Haziq bin Mohd Yusop
Supervisor: Dr. Nor Zalipah Binti Mohamed
Bachelor of Applied Science
(Biodiversity Conservation and Management)
School of Marine and Environmental Science
Rats may be as seed dispersal agents when they ingested the seeds and
dispersed them later on germinate through defecation. Previous studies on the
role of rats as seed dispersal agents however showed little attention on the
viability of the ingested seeds. The objectives of this study therefore are to
identify the species of seeds ingested by rats and to determine the viability of
these ingested seeds. Identification of seeds was conducted by comparing the
ingested seeds and with the reference seeds collected at the study site. Seed
germination test was conducted for both the ingested and reference seeds
(uningested) to determine the role of rats as seeds dispersal agents. Seven
types of seeds were identified from the fecal sample. From this, only one type
of seed were able to identify to species level which is Jamaica cherry (Muntingia
calabura). From the seed germination test, the ingested seeds of Jamaica
cherry were able to germinate. This indicates that rats act as seed dispersal
agents for Jamaica cherry.
1706 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018