Epizoochory in dry forest Green iguana: an overlooked seed dispersal mechanism? Epizoocoría por medio de iguanas en el bosque seco: ¿un mecanismo de dispersión de semillas pasado por alto?

1 Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia y Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apt. 084303092, Balboa, Ancón, Panamá. [email protected]. Autor para correspondencia. 2 Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. [email protected]. ABSTRACT The role of animals as seed dispersal vectors, including dispersal by reptiles (saurochory), is widely acknowledged. Most reports of saurochory have been via endozoochory through feces deposition. We present the first evidence of epizoochory in Iguana iguana from Tatacoa dry forest in Colombia via seeds attached to the snout. Our results show that seeds of Melocactus curvispinus ingested by iguana suffer from their passage through the digestive tract while seeds transported while attached to the snout germinate faster and in higher numbers. Our data suggest that we may have overlooked an alternative means of seed dispersal by lizards that do not comprise a passage through their digestive tract, and that deserves further attention for the understanding of dry forest ecology.