The ecological role of three seed dispersing lizards on Madagascar

The research team focused on three lizard species in a tropical dry forest in Madagascar, conducting behavioral observations, fecal analyses, and seed germination tests. The species, the Malagasy Giant Chameleon, Cuvier’s Madagascar Swift, and the Western Girdled Lizard, are omnivores known to subsist on fruits, but they had not yet been carefully studied.

The team’s results revealed that the lizards consumed fruits from over 20 plant species and expelled viable seeds. These plant species were largely different from those typically consumed by the Common Brown Lemur, a principal seed disperser in Madagascar’s forests, indicating the lizards may play a more crucial role than previously thought.

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