Effects of endozoochory and diploendozoochory by captive wild mammals on seeds.

Carnivorous mammals disperse seeds through endozoochory and diploendozoochory. The former consists of ingestion of the fruit, passage through the digestive tract, and expulsion of the seeds, a process that allows scarification and dispersal of the seeds over long or short distances. The latter is typical of predators that expel seeds that were contained in the prey and the effects of which may differ from those of endozoochory with respect to the retention time of the seeds in the tracts, as well as their scarification and viability.

and Total Aflatoxins Occurrence in Dairy Feed and Aflatoxin M in Bovine Milk in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Contamination of food chains by toxigenic fungi and aflatoxins is a global problem that causes damage to human health, as well as to crop and livestock production. The objective is to evaluate and total aflatoxins (AFs) occurrence in totally mixed rations (TMRs) for dairy cows and aflatoxin M (AFM) in milk for human consumption. Ninety-nine dairy production units located in Aguascalientes, Mexico, were randomly selected, and samples were collected from TMRs, raw milk, and milk marketed in the city in two consecutive agricultural cycles.

Seed dispersal by carnivores in temperate and tropical dry forests.

The seed dispersal mechanisms and regeneration of various forest ecosystems can benefit from the actions of carnivores via endozoochory. This study was aimed to evaluate the role of carnivores in endozoochory and diploendozoochory, as well as their effect on seed viability, scarification, and germination in two forest ecosystems: temperate and tropical dry forest. We collected carnivore scat in the Protected Natural Area of Sierra Fría in Aguascalientes, Mexico, for 2 years to determine the abundance and richness of seeds dispersed by each carnivore species, through scat analysis.

Endozoochorous dispersal of forest seeds by carnivorous mammals in Sierra Fría, Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Some carnivorous mammals ingest fruit and disperse seeds of forest plant species capable of colonizing disturbed areas in ecosystems. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the dissemination of and seeds by the gray fox (), coyote (), and other carnivores in the Protected Natural Area Sierra Fría, in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Scat collection was undertaken via transects using the direct search method, while the seasonal phenology of and was evaluated by recording flower and fruit abundance on both the plant and the surrounding forest floor ground.