PARTIAL PREDISPERSAL SEED PREDATION IN LOTUS-CORNICULATUS L (FABACEAE)

Predispersal seed predation may have implications for plant population dynamics and the evolution of plant traits, but assessing the level o f seed predation for an individual plant is not always straightforward . Seeds of Lotus corniculatus (Fabaceae) are often only partially eate n by a weevil seed predator, Apion loti. Samples of these seeds were t ested for viability and subsequent seedling vigour. A large proportion of these damaged seeds were viable, and the resulting seedlings almos t as vigorous as those from undamaged seeds. The ubiquity of these fin dings, and their ecological significance, is discussed.