Deer help to disperse seeds from Serra da Lousã native species

A PhD project at the University of Coimbra concluded that deer from Serra da Lousã have a role in the dispersal of seeds from native shrub species throughout the territory, being that each animal can disperse more than six thousand seeds per day.

The PhD thesis, performed by Fernanda Garcia, CFE researcher, looked to analyze the impacts of deer that were reintroduced in Serra da Lousã starting in 1995.

Defended in December 2023, the thesis presents as one of its main conclusions, the way deer assume an important role in the dispersal of seeds from native shrub species throughout the entire Serra da Lousã. In the case of this territory, it was important to know if deer also dispersed seeds from exotic species, like the acacias or eucalyptus, that are ever more present in Serra da Lousã.

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