Importance of plant galls in frugivore diet and for animal-mediated seed dispersal services

While plant galls are often considered as detrimental for the host plants, they could have some beneficial advantages for some taxa. To address this, we aim to document the importance of galls in the diet of lemur frugivores, characterize the role of galls in attracting lemur frugivores, and determine the influence of galls on the eventual seed dispersal of the parasitized trees. 


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PhD student associate Rindra Nantenaina was recently awarded a Rufford Small Grants to conduct fieldwork in Ihofa Forest on this subject as part of her PhD thesis at the University of Antananarivo.

A gall on a lemur food-tree. Photo by Rindra Nantenaina

Ihofa forest in the eastern part of Madagascar

Black and white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata) in Ihofa - Photo by Rindra Nantenaina