Ecologie de reproduction du doussié, Afzelia bipindensis Harms, en forêt dense humide tropicale gabonaise.

The species Afzelia bipindensis is a precious woody tree known for its wood quality and considered vulnerable by the IUCN. In order to improve the current knowledge gaps about its reproductive ecology, the goals of this study are: (1) identify animal dispersers/predators of the seeds with direct and indirect observation methods, (2) quantify the dispersion/predation, (3) test the germination dynamics of those seeds under some circumstances that are likely to influence it, (4) model the growth of juveniles depending upon the access to light.
This study was carried out in the forest concession attributed to the Precious Woods society and situated in evergreen forests in East Gabon. After more than 100 hours of direct observation and 3.000 hours of image capture by camera-trap, only four species (Cricetomys emini, Epixerus wilsoni, Protoxerus stangeri and some undetermined Muridae) would be the main animal species to get interested to Afzelia seeds. Those would take more than 90 % of the seeds and would be essentially predators. The results of the germination test revealed a significant influence of the aril on the germination rate. The conservation time and the volume of the seed had also a significant influence over its fitness. Finally, the modeling of growth showed a very low average growth value over time compared to equivalent data collected in Cameroon and a very high mortality rate, probably due to a high predation rate by duikers.