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Journal ArticleDOI

Multiphase myrmecochory: the roles of different ant species and effects of fire.

06 Feb 2013-Oecologia (Springer-Verlag)-Vol. 172, Iss: 3, pp 791-803
TL;DR: It is shown that myrmecochory can involve more than one dispersal phase and that fire indirectly influences myrmicochory by altering the abundances of seed-dispersing ants.
Abstract: Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) can be influenced by changes to ant assemblages resulting from habitat disturbance as well as by differences in disperser behaviour. We investigated the effect of habitat disturbance by fire on the dispersal of seeds of a myrmecochorous shrub, Pultenaea daphnoides. We also investigated the consequence of the seed relocation behaviours of two common dispersers (Pheidole sp. A and Rhytidoponera metallica) for the redispersal of seeds. Pheidole sp. A colonies did not relocate seeds outside their nests. In contrast, R. metallica colonies relocated 43.6 % of seeds fed to them, of which 96.9 % had residual elaiosome that remained attached. On average, R. metallica relocated seeds 78.9 and 60.7 cm from the nest entrances in burned and unburned habitat, respectively. Seeds were removed faster in burned than in unburned habitat, and seeds previously relocated by R. metallica were removed at similar rates to seeds with intact elaiosomes, but faster than seeds with detached elaiosomes. Dispersal distances were not significantly different between burned (51.3 cm) and unburned (70.9 cm) habitat or between seeds with different elaiosome conditions. Differences between habitat types in the frequency of seed removal, the shape of the seed dispersal curve, and the relative contribution of R. metallica and Pheidole sp. A to seed dispersal were largely due to the effect of recent fire on the abundance of Pheidole sp. A. Across habitat types, the number of seeds removed from depots and during dispersal trials most strongly related to the combined abundances of R. metallica and Pheidole. Our findings show that myrmecochory can involve more than one dispersal phase and that fire indirectly influences myrmecochory by altering the abundances of seed-dispersing ants.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
11 Mar 2014-PeerJ
TL;DR: The results suggest that while temperature may play a role in regulating seed removal by ants, ant plant seed-dispersal mutualisms may be more robust to climate change than currently assumed.
Abstract: Climate change affects communities both directly and indirectly via changes in interspecific interactions. One such interaction that may be altered under climate change is the ant-plant seed dispersal mutualism common in deciduous forests of eastern North America. As climatic warming alters the abundance and activity levels of ants, the potential exists for shifts in rates of ant-mediated seed dispersal. We used an experimental temperature manipulation at two sites in the eastern US (Harvard Forest in Massachusetts and Duke Forest in North Carolina) to examine the potential impacts of climatic warming on overall rates of seed dispersal (using Asarum canadense seeds) as well as species-specific rates of seed dispersal at the Duke Forest site. We also examined the relationship between ant critical thermal maxima (CTmax) and the mean seed removal temperature for each ant species. We found that seed removal rates did not change as a result of experimental warming at either study site, nor were there any changes in species-specific rates of seed dispersal. There was, however, a positive relationship between CTmax and mean seed removal temperature, whereby species with higher CTmax removed more seeds at hotter temperatures. The temperature at which seeds were removed was influenced by experimental warming as well as diurnal and day-to-day fluctuations in temperature. Taken together, our results suggest that while temperature may play a role in regulating seed removal by ants, ant plant seed-dispersal mutualisms may be more robust to climate change than currently assumed.

31 citations


Cites background from "Multiphase myrmecochory: the roles ..."

  • ...However, a considerable proportion of the 302 seeds that will be removed by ants are, in fact, removed soon after release from the parent plant 303 (Turnbill and Culver 1983, Beaumont et al. 2013) and seeds not dispersed by ants are at risk of 304 predation by rodents (Heithaus 1981)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Ants in this semi-arid environment have demonstrated a greater capacity to disperse seeds than estimated elsewhere, which highlights their important role in this system, and suggests significant novel ecological and evolutionary consequences for myrmecochorous species in arid/semi-arids Australia.
Abstract: Ants are prominent seed dispersal agents in many ecosystems, and dispersal distances are small in comparison with vertebrate dispersal agents. However, the distance and distribution of ant-mediated dispersal in arid/semi-arid environments remains poorly explored. We used microsatellite markers and parentage assignment to quantify the distance and distribution of dispersed seeds of Acacia karina, retrieved from the middens of Iridomyrmex agilis and Melophorus turneri perthensis. From parentage assignment, we could not distinguish the maternal from each parent pair assigned to each seed, so we applied two approaches to estimate dispersal distances, one conservative (CONS), where the parent closest to the ant midden was considered to be maternal, and the second where both parents were deemed equally likely (EL) to be maternal, and used both distances. Parentage was assigned to 124 seeds from eight middens. Maximum seed dispersal distances detected were 417 m (CONS) and 423 m (EL), more than double the estimated global maximum. Mean seed dispersal distances of 40 m (±5.8 SE) (CONS) and 79 m (±6.4 SE) (EL) exceeded the published global average of 2.24 m (±7.19 SD) by at least one order of magnitude. For both approaches and both ant species, seed dispersal was predominantly (44–84 % of all seeds) within 50 m from the maternal source, with fewer dispersal events at longer distances. Ants in this semi-arid environment have demonstrated a greater capacity to disperse seeds than estimated elsewhere, which highlights their important role in this system, and suggests significant novel ecological and evolutionary consequences for myrmecochorous species in arid/semi-arid Australia.

28 citations


Cites background from "Multiphase myrmecochory: the roles ..."

  • ...…maximum distances for arillate seed dispersal by ants in Australia include 4 m for Pultenaea daphnoides, 4.7 m for Daviesia triflora, 8.1 m for Acacia blakelyi, 77 m for chenopod species, and 180 m for Acacia ligulata (Beaumont et al. 2013; Davidson and Morton 1981; He et al. 2009; Whitney 2002)....

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  • ...…factor that can influence the outcome of myrmecochory, as differences in body size, foraging behavior and locations where seeds are processed and deposited all have an effect on the distribution of seed dispersal (Andersen 1988; Beaumont et al. 2013; Gómez and Espadaler 1998, 2013; Ness 2004)....

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  • ...1 m for Acacia blakelyi, 77 m for chenopod species, and 180 m for Acacia ligulata (Beaumont et al. 2013; Davidson and Morton 1981; He et al. 2009; Whitney 2002)....

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  • ...The identity of dispersing ant species is another factor that can influence the outcome of myrmecochory, as differences in body size, foraging behavior and locations where seeds are processed and deposited all have an effect on the distribution of seed dispersal (Andersen 1988; Beaumont et al. 2013; Gómez and Espadaler 1998, 2013; Ness 2004)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is indicated that CAD and aridity act independently on ant-mediated seed dispersal services in Caatinga, such that the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance are unlikely to change under the forecast climate of increased aridity.
Abstract: Anthropogenic disturbance and climate change are the main drivers of biodiversity loss and ecological services around the globe. There is concern that climate change will exacerbate the impacts of disturbance and thereby promote biotic homogenization, but its consequences for ecological services are unknown. We investigated the individual and interactive effects of increasing chronic anthropogenic disturbance (CAD) and aridity on seed dispersal services provided by ants in Caatinga vegetation of north-eastern Brazil. The study was conducted in Catimbau National Park, Pernambuco, Brazil. Within an area of 214 km2 , we established nineteen 50 × 20 m plots that encompassed gradients of both CAD and aridity. We offered diaspores of six plant species, three myrmecochorous diaspores and three fleshy fruits that are secondarily dispersed by ants. We then quantified the number of interactions, seed removal rate and dispersal distances, and noted the identities of interacting ant species. Finally, we used pitfall trap data to quantify the abundances of ant disperser species in each plot. Our results show that overall composition of ant disperser species varied along the gradients of CAD and aridity, but the composition of high-quality dispersers varied only with aridity. The total number of interactions, rates of removal and mean distance of removal all declined with increasing aridity, but they were not related to CAD. These same patterns were found when considering only high-quality disperser species, driven by the responses of the dominant disperser Dinoponera quadriceps. We found little evidence of interactive effects of CAD and aridity on seed dispersal services by ants. Our study indicates that CAD and aridity act independently on ant-mediated seed dispersal services in Caatinga, such that the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance are unlikely to change under the forecast climate of increased aridity. However, our findings highlight the vulnerability of seed dispersal services provided by ants in Caatinga under an increasingly arid climate due to low functional redundancy in high-quality disperser species. Given the large number of plant species dependent on ants for seed dispersal, this has important implications for future plant recruitment and, consequently, for the composition of Caatinga plant communities.

25 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Investigating the extent to which dispersal services by ants are influenced by anthropogenic disturbances associated with roadwork activities in southern NSW, Australia shows that myrmecochory is an unevenly diffuse mutualism, where few ant species contributed to much of the dispersal of seeds.
Abstract: Ants provide a common dispersal vector for a variety of plants in many environments through a process known as myrmecochory. The efficacy of this dispersal mechanism can largely determine the ability of species to track changes in habitat availability caused by ongoing land-use and associated disturbances, and can be critical for population gene flow and persistence. Field studies were conducted in a typical fragmented agricultural landscape in southern NSW, Australia, to investigate the extent to which dispersal services by ants are influenced by anthropogenic disturbances associated with roadwork activities (i.e. soil disturbance as the result of grading of roads). Observational experiments were performed in road segments that were divided into disturbed and non-disturbed zones, where Acacia pycnantha seeds were offered at multiple bait stations and monitored. For combined species, the mean dispersal distance recorded in the disturbed zone (12.2m) was almost double that recorded in the non-disturbed zone (5.4m) for all roadside sites. Our findings show that myrmecochory is an unevenly diffuse mutualism, where few ant species contributed to much of the dispersal of seeds. Iridomyrmex purpureus was responsible for all seed dispersal distances > 17m, where a maximum of 120m in disturbed, versus 69m in non-disturbed zones, was recorded. Rhytidoponera metallica and Melophorus bruneus were important seed dispersers in non-disturbed and disturbed zones, respectively. In general, large bodied ants tended to move more seeds to longer distances in disturbed zones, as opposed to non-disturbed zones, where smaller bodied species carried out a greater percentage of short distance dispersals (< 1m). We also recorded secondary dispersal events from nests by I. purpureus, a phenomenon previously not quantified. Infrequent, long distance dispersal to suitable sites may be highly important for seedling recruitment in disturbed or modified habitats in otherwise highly fragmented rural environments.

17 citations


Cites background from "Multiphase myrmecochory: the roles ..."

  • ...The composition of ant assemblages at any given habitat is known to influence seed dispersal services by ants (Zelikova and Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution | www.frontiersin.org 5 October 2017 | Volume 5 | Article 132 Breed, 2008; Beaumont et al., 2013)....

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  • ...Other species can also discard seeds from their nests (Beaumont et al., 2013), sometimes with the elaiosomes remaining intact on discarded seeds....

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Journal ArticleDOI
16 Jun 2016-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: Differences in the keystone seed removalist, and the addition of an alternate dispersal vector or seed predator at high elevation, will result in different dispersal and establishment patterns for A. terminalis at different elevations, concur with other global studies that report myrmecochorous dispersal systems alter with elevation.
Abstract: The dispersal capacity of plant species that rely on animals to disperse their seeds (biotic dispersal) can alter with changes to the populations of their keystone dispersal vectors. Knowledge on how biotic dispersal systems vary across landscapes allows better understanding of factors driving plant persistence. Myrmecochory, seed dispersal by ants, is a common method of biotic dispersal for many plant species throughout the world. We tested if the seed dispersal system of Acacia terminalis (Fabaceae), a known myrmecochore, differed between two elevations in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, in southeastern Australia. We compared ant assemblages, seed removal rates of ants and other vertebrates (bird and mammal) and the dominant seed-dispersing ant genera. At low elevations (c. 200 m a.s.l) seed removal was predominantly by ants, however, at high elevation sites (c. 700 m a.s.l) vertebrate seed dispersers or seed predators were present, removing over 60% of seeds from experimental depots when ants were excluded. We found a switch in the keystone seed-dispersing ant genera from Rhytidoponera at low elevations sites to Aphaenogaster at high elevation sites. This resulted in more seeds being removed faster at low elevation sites compared to high elevation sites, however long-term seed removal rates were equal between elevations. Differences in the keystone seed removalist, and the addition of an alternate dispersal vector or seed predator at high elevations, will result in different dispersal and establishment patterns for A. terminalis at different elevations. These differences in dispersal concur with other global studies that report myrmecochorous dispersal systems alter with elevation.

13 citations

References
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Journal Article
TL;DR: Copyright (©) 1999–2012 R Foundation for Statistical Computing; permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and permission notice are preserved on all copies.
Abstract: Copyright (©) 1999–2012 R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved by the R Core Team.

272,030 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The SDE framework successfully captures the complexities of seed dispersal and is advocated an expanded use of the term dispersal encompassing the multiple recruitment stages from fruit to adult if the authors are to understand the central relevance of Seed dispersal in plant ecology and evolution.
Abstract: Growth in seed dispersal studies has been fast-paced since the seed disperser effectiveness (SDE) framework was developed 17 yr ago. Thus, the time is ripe to revisit the framework in light of accumulated new insight. Here, we first present an overview of the framework, how it has been applied, and what we know and do not know. We then introduce the SDE landscape as the two-dimensional representation of the possible combinations of the quantity and the quality of dispersal and with elevational contours representing isoclines of SDE. We discuss the structure of disperser assemblages on such landscapes. Following this we discuss recent advances and ideas in seed dispersal in the context of their impacts on SDE. Finally, we highlight a number of emerging issues that provide insight into SDE. Overall, the SDE framework successfully captures the complexities of seed dispersal. We advocate an expanded use of the term dispersal encompassing the multiple recruitment stages from fruit to adult. While this entails difficulties in estimating SDE, it is a necessary expansion if we are to understand the central relevance of seed dispersal in plant ecology and evolution.

878 citations


"Multiphase myrmecochory: the roles ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…addition, seeds discarded from nests often have their elaiosomes removed (Hughes and Westoby 1992a; Gorb and Gorb 2003; Canner et al. 2012), although some ant species discard seeds that still have residual elaiosome attached (Berg 1975; Lopez-Vila and Garcia-Fayos 2005; Servigne and Detrain 2010)....

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  • ...For example, an uneven distribution of nutrients within elaiosomes (Bresinsky 1963) may result in incomplete elaiosome consumption (Servigne and Detrain 2010) or the toughness of elaiosome tissue may affect the ability of ants to completely remove elaiosomes....

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  • ...Ant species retain seeds within their nests to varying degrees (Gomez et al. 2005; Servigne and Detrain 2010), while seeds taken out of nests can be placed on nest mounds (e.g. Davidson and Morton 1981), or relocated to sites some distance away from nest entrances (Berg 1975; Kjellsson 1985; Hughes…...

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  • ...Even so, Berg (1975) noted that ‘some’ seeds of Dillwinia juniperina that were scattered around a R. tasmaniensis nest had residual elaiosomes, and Servigne and Detrain (2010) found that a proportion of seeds with elaiosomes can be discarded from nests because seed discarding rates were not…...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Beattie as discussed by the authors reviewed the natural history of ant-plant interactions, discussed the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reached some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them.
Abstract: Mutualistic interactions between ants and plants involve rewards offered by plants and services performed by ants in a mutually advantageous relationship. The rewards are principally food and/or nest sites, and ants in turn perform a number of services for plants: they disperse and plant seeds; they protect foliage, buds, and reproductive structures from enemies such as herbivores and seed predators; they fertilize plants with essential nutrients; and they may sometimes function as pollinators. In this book, initially published in 1985, Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant–plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them. This important work explores the natural history, experimental approach, and integration with contemporary evolutionary and ecological literature of the time will appeal to a wide variety of biologists.

749 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The continued synergy between seed dispersal research and the study of plant demography should help researchers link seed dispersed seeds and seedlings back to adult vegetation structure, closing the Seed dispersal loop.
Abstract: Seed dispersal links the end of the reproductive cycle of adult plants with the establishment of their offspring, and is widely accepted to have a profound effect on vegetation structure. Confirming and quantifying this effect, however, has proven to be a challenge. Recent research on animal-mediated seed dispersal has brought us closer to this goal: ecologists have been explicitly examining the processes that mediate seed deposition and seedling recruitment. Exciting new techniques, such as the analysis of stable isotope ratios and molecular genetic markers, are making it possible to relate dispersed seeds and seedlings back to parent plants. Meanwhile, evidence from plant demography research is revealing that seed dispersal might have an important role in determining patterns of tree diversity and distribution. The continued synergy between seed dispersal research and the study of plant demography should help researchers link seed dispersal and adult vegetation structure, closing the seed dispersal loop.

728 citations

Book
01 Jan 1985
TL;DR: Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant–plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them.
Abstract: Mutualistic interactions between ants and plants involve rewards offered by plants and services performed by ants in a mutually advantageous relationship. The rewards are principally food and/or nest sites, and ants in turn perform a number of services for plants: they disperse and plant seeds; they protect foliage, buds, and reproductive structures from enemies such as herbivores and seed predators; they fertilize plants with essential nutrients; and they may sometimes function as pollinators. In this book, initially published in 1985, Professor Beattie reviews the fascinating natural history of ant–plant interactions, discusses the scientific evidence for the mutualistic nature of these relationships, and reaches some conclusions about the ecological and evolutionary processes that mold them. This important work explores the natural history, experimental approach, and integration with contemporary evolutionary and ecological literature of the time will appeal to a wide variety of biologists.

674 citations


"Multiphase myrmecochory: the roles ..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Myrmecochory is considered to be a mutualism because seed-dispersing ant colonies benefit from the lipid-rich elaiosomes (Morales and Heithaus 1998; Gammans et al. 2005), and plants can benefit in several ways by having their seeds dispersed (Beattie 1985; Giladi 2006; RicoGray and Oliveira 2007)....

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  • ...2010) that is attractive to ants and facilitates seed dispersal by them (myrmecochory), (Beattie 1985)....

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  • ...2005), and plants can benefit in several ways by having their seeds dispersed (Beattie 1985; Giladi 2006; RicoGray and Oliveira 2007)....

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  • ...…ants play an important role in seed dispersal (Rico-Gray and Oliveira 2007), and approximately 11,000 plant species have seeds with a specialized appendage called the elaiosome (Lengyel et al. 2010) that is attractive to ants and facilitates seed dispersal by them (myrmecochory), (Beattie 1985)....

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