Deciphering the effects of disperser assemblages and seed mass on patterns of seed dispersal in a rodent community

Seed dispersal and germination were examined for 70 species from the cold Gurbantunggut Desert in northwest China. Mean and range (3 orders of magnitude) of seed mass were smaller and narrower than those in other floras (5–8 orders of magnitude), which implies that selection favors relatively smaller seeds in this desert. We identified five dispersal syndromes (anemochory, zoochory, autochory, barochory, and ombrohydrochory), and anemochorous species were most abundant. Seed mass (F=3.50,P=0.01), seed size (F=8.31,P<0.01), and seed shape (F=2.62,P=0.04) differed significantly among the five dispersal syndromes and barochorous species were significantly smaller and rounder than the others. There were no significant correlations between seed mass (seed weight) (P=0.15), seed size (P=0.38), or seed shape (variance) (P=0.95) and germination percentage. However, germination percentages differed significantly among the dispersal syndromes (F=3.64,P=0.01) and seeds of ombrohydrochorous species had higher germination percentages than those of the other species. In the Gurbantunggut Desert, the percentage of species with seed dormancy was about 80%. In general, our studies suggest that adaptive strategies in seed dispersal and germination of plants in this area are closely related to the environment in which they live and that they are influenced by natural selection forces.

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Seed traits and phylogeny explain plant distribution at large geographic scale

10.5194/bg-2020-186 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Kai Chen ◽

Kevin S. Burgess ◽

Fangliang He ◽

Xiang-Yun Yang ◽

Lian-Ming Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seed Dispersal ◽

Species Distribution ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Range Size ◽

Species Range ◽

Seed Plants ◽

Seed Traits ◽

Geographic Scale ◽

Dispersal Mode ◽

Joint Effects

Abstract. Understanding the mechanisms that shape the geographic distribution of plant species is a central theme of biogeography. Although seed mass, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny have long been suspected to affect species distribution, the link between the sources of variation of these attributes and their joint effects to the distribution of seed plants remain poorly documented. This study aims to quantify the joint effects of key seed traits and phylogeny on the species' distribution. We collected seed mass and seed dispersal mode from 1,616 species of seed plants representing 554 genera of 130 families. We used 5,639,009 specimens to calculate species range size through ArcGIS10.2. Phylogenetic generalized least squares regression modeling and variation partitioning were performed to estimate the joint effects of seed mass, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny on species distribution. We found that species range size was constrained by seed dispersal mode and phylogeny. Seed mass and its intraspecific variation were also important in limiting species distribution, but their effects were different among species with different dispersal modes. Variation partitioning revealed that seed mass, seed mass variability, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny together explained 40.44 % of the variance in species range size. Seed traits are not typically used to model the geographic distributions of seed plants. This study provides direct evidence that seed mass, seed dispersal modes and phylogeny explain species distribution variation on a large geographic scale. Our findings underscore the necessity to include seed traits and the phylogenetic history of species, together with existing climate-based niche models, in predicting the response of plant geographic distribution to climate change.

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Seed dispersal distance is more strongly correlated with plant height than with seed mass

Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01867.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 99 (6) ◽

pp. 1299-1307 ◽

Cited By ~ 298

Author(s):

Fiona J. Thomson ◽

Angela T. Moles ◽

Tony D. Auld ◽

Richard T. Kingsford

Keyword(s):

Seed Dispersal ◽

Plant Height ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Dispersal Distance ◽

Strongly Correlated ◽

Seed Dispersal Distance

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Seed dispersal in the cycad Zamia pumila in Florida

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b89-261 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 67 (7) ◽

pp. 2066-2070 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

William Tang

Keyword(s):

Seed Germination ◽

Seed Dispersal ◽

Seedling Establishment ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Pine Forests ◽

Safe Sites ◽

Dispersal Success ◽

Lower Light ◽

Seed Shadows ◽

Dispersal Activity

Seed dispersal of the herbaceous cycad Zamia pumila was studied in the rockland pine forests of southeast Florida. Dispersal activity was found to occur over 6 months and was concentrated in two periods: after seed ripening and prior to seed germination. Seed mass and pulp-to-seed ratios were positively correlated with dispersal success at one study site. Seed shadows were generally asymmetrical in direction, with seeds tending to be deposited under nearby shrubs. Seed germination and seedling establishment is higher in shade than in sun, suggesting that the lower light intensities under shrubs are safe sites for seeds and seedlings.

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Seed mass, seed dispersal capacity, and seedling performance in aPinus sylvestrispopulation

Ecoscience ◽

10.1080/11956860.2003.11682764 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 168-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Sandrine Debain ◽

Thomas Curt ◽

Jacques Lepart

Keyword(s):

Seed Dispersal ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Dispersal Capacity ◽

Seedling Performance

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How do wind speed, release height, seed morphology interact to determine seed dispersal trajectory of Calligonum (Polygonaceae) species Wind speed, release height, seed morphology determine seed dispersal trajectory

10.1101/362434 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Quanlai Zhou ◽

Zhimin Liu ◽

Zhiming Xin ◽

Jianqiang Qian ◽

Yongcui Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Wind Speed ◽

Seed Dispersal ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Seed Mass ◽

Seed Morphology ◽

Dispersal Distance ◽

Wind Loading ◽

Dispersal Capacity ◽

High Dispersal ◽

Release Height

AbstractHow seed dispersal trajectory shifts with abiotic and biotic factors and what is the relationship between seed dispersal distance and dispersal trajectory are remain unclear. We used wind tunnel and video camera to track the seed dispersal trajectory of 7 Calligonum species with different appendages under the different wind speeds and the release heights. Dispersal trajectories and distances were determined by video analysis and spatial coordinate transformation. Based on perspective principle, 4 modes of trajectories were determined. Wind speed, seed mass and release height were the key factors determining seed dispersal trajectory modes. Release height and wind speed tended to have the strongest explanatory power on seeds with bristles and wings, respectively. Different trajectory modes lead to different dispersal distance, while the same dispersal distance can be the result of different trajectory modes. The proportion of species’ trajectory modes formed its trajectory spectrum. Wind speed tends to have strong influence on light and low-wind-loading seeds, release height tends to have that on heavy and high-wind-loading seeds. Species with high proportion of horizontal projectile and projectile have high dispersal capacity, vice versa. Therefore, trajectory spectrum of a species reveals its primary dispersal strategies and evolutionary consequences.

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FRUGIVORIA E DISPERSÃO DE SEMENTES POR PEIXES

Scientific Magazine UAKARI ◽

10.31420/uakari.v1i1.2 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 7-18

Author(s):

Luciane Lopes de Souza

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Seed Dispersal ◽

Tropical Forests ◽

Natural Regeneration ◽

Main Species ◽

Fishing Gears ◽

Solimões River

Biotic or abiotic processes of seed dispersal are important for the maintenance of the diversity, and for the natural regeneration in tropical forests. Ichthyochory is one of the fundamental mechanisms for seed dispersal in flooded environments, as the igapó forests. A study on the ichthyochory of the igapós was conducted at Amanã Sustainable Development Reserve, in the middle Solimões river, from June 2002 to September 2004. Monthly samples of frugivorous fish were taken, with the main fishing gears used locally. Guts of 1,688 fish caught were examined. The main species were Myloplus rubripinnis (29.21%), Hemiodus immaculatus (18.96%),Colossoma macropom um (16.23%) and Mylossoma duriventre (16.05%). The diet was made of vegetables (fruits, leave and flowers), and animals (arthropods). 53.02% of all fish caught ingested fruits. The total number of intact seeds in the stomachs and intestines were 8,069 and 5,763 respectively. About 61.9% of the Brycon melanopterus (matrinchão), 46.34% of the Brycon amazonicus (mamuri) and 30.22% of M . rubripinnis (parum ) analysed had intact seeds in their guts. Seeds of Nectandra amazonum and Genipa spruceana ingested proved to be more viable than those non-ingested by fish. The high rates of frugivory, the presence of intact seeds in the guts of fish and the greater viability of ingested seeds all suggest that these animals are important seed dispersors in the igapó forests of Amanã Reserve.

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