scholarly journals An Ant-Plant Mesocosm Experiment Reveals Dispersal Patterns of Myrmecochorous Plants

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1149
Author(s):  
Gerriet Fokuhl ◽  
Jürgen Heinze ◽  
Peter Poschlod
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Mesocosm Experiment ◽  
Dispersal Pattern ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Myrmica Ants ◽  
Forest Herbs ◽  
Dispersal Vector

For Central European herbs, ants are one common dispersal vector acting at relatively small spatial scales. Though extensively studied concerning the different benefits to plants, specific dispersal patterns mediated by ants have been reportedly very sparsely and without any validation. Thus, we studied the seed dispersal pattern of a set of myrmecochorous plant species in a novel mesocosm experiment. We examined the seed dispersal distances of four forest herbs (Hollow Root–Corydalis cava (L.) Schweigg. & Körte, Alpine Squill–Scilla bifolia L., and Common Dog-violet–Viola riviniana Rchb. and the annual Ivy-leaved Speedwell–Veronica hederifolia L.) by the red ant Myrmica ruginodis Nylander in 8.25 m² large plots under natural conditions with and without ants. In the presence of Myrmica ants, the bulb geophytes C. cava and S. bifolia showed a significantly higher fraction of dispersed seedlings and a maximum dispersal distance of 322 cm. Estimated by nearest neighbor analyses, distances between single C. cava seedlings were significantly higher in ant plots than in exclosures without ants. The annual species Veronica hederifolia showed a few dispersed seedlings in ant plots only, while the diplochorous hemicryptophyte Viola riviniana germinated in a widely scattered manner with distances up to 241 cm due to ballochorous dispersal in both ant and exclosure plots, but with a maximum of 324 cm only by means of ants. Our results indicate the escape from the mother plant and dispersal for distance as an important benefit for myrmecochorous species, potentially accompanied by benefits through reduced competition.

scholarly journals Animal movement drives variation in seed dispersal distance in a plant–animal network

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1894) ◽  
pp. 20182007 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Rehm ◽  
E. Fricke ◽  
J. Bender ◽  
J. Savidge ◽  
H. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Animal Movement ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Dispersal Patterns ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Dispersal Distances ◽  
Seed Dispersal Distance ◽  
Passage Times

Frugivores play differing roles in shaping dispersal patterns yet seed dispersal distance is rarely quantified across entire communities. We model seed dispersal distance using gut passage times and bird movement for the majority (39 interactions) of known bird–tree interactions on the island of Saipan to highlight differences in seed dispersal distances provided by the five avian frugivores. One bird species was found to be a seed predator rather than a disperser. The remaining four avian species dispersed seeds but differences in seed dispersal distance were largely driven by interspecific variation in bird movement rather than intraspecific variation in gut passage times. The median dispersal distance was at least 56 m for all species-specific combinations, indicating all species play a role in reducing high seed mortality under the parent tree. However, one species—the Micronesian Starling—performed 94% of dispersal events greater than 500 m, suggesting this species could be a key driver of long-distance dispersal services (e.g. linking populations, colonizing new areas). Assessing variation in dispersal patterns across this network highlights key sources of variation in seed dispersal distances and suggests which empirical approaches are sufficient for modelling how seed dispersal mutualisms affect populations and communities.

Can fruiting plants control animal behaviour and seed dispersal distance?

Behaviour ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 152 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 359-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Beaune ◽  
François Bretagnolle ◽  
Loïc Bollache ◽  
Gottfried Hohmann ◽  
Barbara Fruth
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Population Biology ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Fruit Traits ◽  
Dispersal Distances ◽  
Dispersal Vector ◽  
Seed Dispersal Distance

In an Afrotropical forest, we tested the hypothesis that fleshy-fruit plants with interspecific differences in fruit quality and quantity affect ranging behaviour of their seed dispersal vector. If fruiting plants could affect their dispersal vector, the plants also affect their seed dispersal distance and eventually their plant population biology. From 2007 to 2011, we measured seed transport by georeference daily bonobo group movements via GPS. Seed dispersal distance was estimated with mechanistic model, using 1200 georeferenced dispersal events and the average seed transit time through bonobo (24.00 h). We compared dissemination for eight plant species that deal with this trade-off: attracting dispersers by means of fruit quality/quantity versus retaining them in the patch because of the same quality/quantity value that attracted them. Because fruit traits of these eight species were different, we expected a difference in seed dispersal distance. Surprisingly, seed dispersal distances induced by bonobos were not affected by fruit traits. Although fruit nutrient contents, abundance and average patch feeding duration differed between plant species, patch feeding time was not related to subsequent dispersal distances. The apes’ dispersal distance survey gave an average dispersal distance estimated of 1332 ± 24 m from the parent plant (97.9% > 100 m). To conclude, feeding time invested in the patch, fruit quality and abundance had no apparent effect on bonobo seed dispersal distance. The possible effects in plant population biology are discussed.

scholarly journals Estimation of seed dispersal distance by the bonobo, Pan paniscus, in a tropical forest in Democratic Republic of Congo

2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamato Tsuji ◽  
Kumugo Yangozene ◽  
Tetsuya Sakamaki
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Pan Paniscus ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Great Apes ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Home Ranges ◽  
Dispersal Pattern

Great apes are considered to be important seed dispersers in palaeotropical habitats due to their large body size (this would be reflected in the amount of foods consumed) and large home ranges (Poulsen et al. 2001, Wrangham et al. 1994). Furthermore, the great apes might process seeds in a way that maintains their viability (Lambert 1999). Previous studies of seed dispersal by great apes have generally taken the form of lists of seeds found in their faeces (Voysey et al. 1999a, Wrangham et al. 1994), effects of passage through their guts on seed germination (Idani 1986, Wrangham et al. 1994), and effects of dispersal location on germination/seedling survival (Gross-Camp & Kaplin 2005, Rogers et al. 1998, Voysey et al. 1999b). In contrast with the richness of reports about aspects of seeds after their dispersal, few studies have investigated the dispersal pattern of seeds. In this study, we report on the estimated distances of seed dispersal by the wild bonobo (Pan paniscus Schwartz), a species of great ape.

scholarly journals Highly restricted dispersal in habitat-forming seaweed may impede natural recovery of disturbed populations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Florentine Riquet ◽  
Christiane-Arnilda De Kuyper ◽  
Cécile Fauvelot ◽  
Laura Airoldi ◽  
Serge Planes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystems ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Genetic Connectivity ◽  
Restricted Gene Flow ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Natural Recovery ◽  
Limited Dispersal ◽  
Ecological Importance

AbstractCystoseira sensu lato (Class Phaeophyceae, Order Fucales, Family Sargassaceae) forests play a central role in marine Mediterranean ecosystems. Over the last decades, Cystoseira s.l. suffered from a severe loss as a result of multiple anthropogenic stressors. In particular, Gongolaria barbata has faced multiple human-induced threats, and, despite its ecological importance in structuring rocky communities and hosting a large number of species, the natural recovery of G. barbata depleted populations is uncertain. Here, we used nine microsatellite loci specifically developed for G. barbata to assess the genetic diversity of this species and its genetic connectivity among fifteen sites located in the Ionian, the Adriatic and the Black Seas. In line with strong and significant heterozygosity deficiencies across loci, likely explained by Wahlund effect, high genetic structure was observed among the three seas (ENA corrected FST = 0.355, IC = [0.283, 0.440]), with an estimated dispersal distance per generation smaller than 600 m, both in the Adriatic and Black Sea. This strong genetic structure likely results from restricted gene flow driven by geographic distances and limited dispersal abilities, along with genetic drift within isolated populations. The presence of genetically disconnected populations at small spatial scales (< 10 km) has important implications for the identification of relevant conservation and management measures for G. barbata: each population should be considered as separated evolutionary units with dedicated conservation efforts.

Effects of seed dispersal, adult tree and seedling density on the spatial genetic structure of regeneration at fine temporal and spatial scales

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabrice Sagnard ◽  
Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio ◽  
Christian Pichot ◽  
Giovanni G. Vendramin ◽  
Bruno Fady
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Structure ◽  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Spatial Genetic Structure ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Seedling Density ◽  
Adult Tree ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

scholarly journals Frequency-Dependent Seed Dispersal by Ants of Two Deciduous Forest Herbs

Ecology ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 1645-1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent H. Smith ◽  
Catherine E. deRivera ◽  
Cara Lin Bridgman ◽  
John J. Woida
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Forest Herbs

Myrmecochory in the Zingiberaceae: seed removal of Globba franciscii and G. propinqua by ants (Hymenoptera – Formicidae) in rain forests on Borneo

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 705-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Pfeiffer ◽  
Jamili Nais ◽  
K. Eduard Linsenmair
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Ant Dispersal ◽  
Important Benefit ◽  
Plant Families ◽  
Species Richness And Abundance ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
Ant Diversity ◽  
Old World Tropics

The Old-World tropics encompass one of the floristically richest zones of the world and some of the hot spots of ant diversity. This results in a large variety of ecological interactions between both groups. One of them is the phenomenon of myrmecochory, seed dispersal by ants, which is also well known from temperate forests (Gorb & Gorb 2003, Ulbrich 1919), and which is most prominent in sclerophyll shrublands of Australia and southern Africa (Andersen 1988). Beattie (1983), who reviewed the distribution of ant-dispersed plants (at least 80 plant families worldwide) proposed that species richness and abundance of myrmecochores and diaspore-dispersing ants increases with decreasing latitude and thus predicted a greater variety of ant-dispersal systems in the tropics. However, up to now, few tropical myrmecochores have been described (Horvitz 1981, Horvitz & Schemske 1986), especially in the palaeotropics (Kaufmann et al. 2001). Here we report myrmecochory in two species of rain-forest herb of the Zingiberaceae, give the first evidence for seed dispersal by ants in this plant family and present a list of seed-dispersing ant species. An important benefit of myrmecochory is the dispersal distance of the ant-transported seeds (Andersen 1988), that has been found to be positively correlated with ant size (Gomez & Espadaler 1998a, Pudlo et al. 1980). In this study, we checked whether this correlation is also true for the conditions of the tropical rain forest, where Globba plants occur.

The White Stork as an Engineering Species and Seed Dispersal Vector when Nesting in Poland

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanna Czarnecka ◽  
Ignacy Kitowski
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
White Stork ◽  
Dispersal Vector

Wind-mediated seed dispersal of invasive forage grasses from agricultural grasslands in Hokkaido, Japan

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
pp. 133-141
Author(s):  
Chika Egawa ◽  
Atsushi Shoji ◽  
Hiroyuki Shibaike
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Poa Pratensis ◽  
Plant Cover ◽  
Kentucky Bluegrass ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Phleum Pratense ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Forage Grass ◽  
Forage Grasses ◽  
Number Of Seeds

AbstractAlthough introduced pasture grasses are essential for forage production in current livestock farming, some species cause serious impacts on native biodiversity when naturalized. Information on the seed dispersal of invasive forage grasses from cultivated settings to surrounding environments can inform management efforts to prevent their naturalization. In this case study, we quantified the wind-mediated seed dispersal distance and amount of dispersed seed of invasive forage grasses from agricultural grasslands in Hokkaido, northern Japan. In total, 200 funnel seed traps were installed around three regularly mown grasslands and one unmown grassland where various forage grass species were grown in mixture. Seeds of each species dispersed outside the grasslands were captured from May to October 2017. Based on the trapped distances of seeds, the 99th percentile dispersal distance from the grasslands was estimated for six species, including timothy (Phleum pratense L.), orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). For two dominant species, P. pratense and D. glomerata, the numbers of seeds dispersed outside the field under mown and unmown conditions were determined under various plant cover situations. The estimated dispersal distances ranged from 2.3 m (P. pratense) to 31.5 m (P. pratensis), suggesting that areas within approximately 32 m of the grasslands are exposed to the invasion risk of some forage grass species. For both P. pratense and D. glomerata, the number of seeds dispersed outside the unmown grassland exceeded 100 seeds m−2 under high plant cover situations, while the number of seeds dispersed from the mown grasslands at the same plant cover level was less than one-third of that number. The results suggest that local land managers focus their efforts on frequent mowing of grasslands and monitoring of the areas within approximately 32 m of the grasslands to substantially reduce the naturalization of invasive forage grasses.

scholarly journals SEED DISPERSAL AND RECRUITMENT LIMITATION ACROSS SPATIAL SCALES IN TEMPERATE FOREST FRAGMENTS

Ecology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 507-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy B. McEuen ◽  
Lisa M. Curran
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Temperate Forest ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Recruitment Limitation ◽  
Forest Fragments
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