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Mason DS, Baruzzi C, Lashley MA. Passive directed dispersal of plants by animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1908-1929. [PMID: 35770842 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Conceptual gaps and imprecise terms and definitions may obscure the breadth of plant-animal dispersal relationships involved in directed dispersal. The term 'directed' indicates predictable delivery to favourable microsites. However, directed dispersal was initially considered uncommon in diffuse mutualisms (i.e. those involving many species), partly because plants rarely influence post-removal propagule fate without specialized adaptations. This rationale implies that donor plants play an active role in directed dispersal by manipulating vector behaviour after propagule removal. However, even in most classic examples of directed dispersal, participating plants do not influence animal behaviour after propagule removal. Instead, such plants may take advantage of vector attraction to favourable plant microsites, indicating a need to expand upon current interpretations of directed dispersal. We contend that directed dispersal can emerge whenever propagules are disproportionately delivered to favourable microsites as a result of predictably skewed vector behaviour. Thus, we propose distinguishing active and passive forms of directed dispersal. In active directed dispersal, the donor plant achieves disproportionate arrival to favourable microsites by influencing vector behaviour after propagule removal. By contrast, passive directed dispersal occurs when the donor plant takes advantage of vector behaviour to arrive at favourable microsites. Whereas predictable post-removal vector behaviour is dictated by characteristics of the donor plant in active directed dispersal, characteristics of the destination dictate predictable post-removal vector behaviour in passive directed dispersal. Importantly, this passive form of directed dispersal may emerge in more plant-animal dispersal relationships because specialized adaptations in donor plants that influence post-removal vector behaviour are not required. We explore the occurrence and consequences of passive directed dispersal using the unifying generalized gravity model of dispersal. This model successfully describes vectored dispersal by incorporating the influence of the environment (i.e. attractiveness of microsites) on vector movement. When applying gravity models to dispersal, the three components of Newton's gravity equation (i.e. gravitational force, object mass, and distance between centres of mass) become analogous to propagules moving towards a location based on characteristics of the donor plant, the destination, and relocation processes. The generalized gravity model predicts passive directed dispersal in plant-animal dispersal relationships when (i) animal vectors are predictably attracted to specific destinations, (ii) animal vectors disproportionately disperse propagules to those destinations, and (iii) those destinations are also favourable microsites for the dispersed plants. Our literature search produced evidence for these three conditions broadly, and we identified 13 distinct scenarios where passive directed dispersal likely occurs because vector behaviour is predictably skewed towards favourable microsites. We discuss the wide applicability of passive directed dispersal to plant-animal mutualisms and provide new insights into the vulnerability of those mutualisms to global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Mason
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, PO Box 110430, 1745 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0410, USA
| | - Carolina Baruzzi
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, PO Box 110410, 1745 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0410, USA
| | - Marcus A Lashley
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, PO Box 110430, 1745 McCarty Drive, Gainesville, FL, 32611-0410, USA
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Green AJ, Baltzinger C, Lovas‐Kiss Á. Plant dispersal syndromes are unreliable, especially for predicting zoochory and long‐distance dispersal. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andy J. Green
- Dept of Wetland Ecology, Doñana Biological Station EBD‐CSIC Sevilla Spain
| | | | - Ádám Lovas‐Kiss
- Wetland Ecology Research Group, Centre for Ecological Research, Danube Research Inst. Debrecen Hungary
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Sigaud M, Mason THE, Barnier F, Cherry SG, Fortin D. Emerging conflict between conservation programmes: when a threatened vertebrate facilitates the dispersal of exotic species in a rare plant community. Anim Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. Sigaud
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- Primate Research Institute Kyoto University Inuyama Japan
| | - T. H. E. Mason
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- Biological and Environmental Sciences School of Natural Sciences University of Stirling Stirling UK
| | - F. Barnier
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
- UMS Patrimoine Naturel Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle Paris France
| | - S. G. Cherry
- Parks Canada Agency Radium Hot Springs BC Canada
| | - D. Fortin
- Département de Biologie et Centre d’Étude de la Forêt Université Laval Québec QC Canada
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Consistent individual differences in seed disperser quality in a seed-eating fish. Oecologia 2016; 183:81-91. [PMID: 27704241 PMCID: PMC5239806 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3749-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Animal-mediated seed dispersal (zoochory) is considered to be an important mechanism regulating biological processes at larger spatial scales. To date, intra-specific variation in seed disperser quality within seed-dispersing animals has not been studied. Here, I employed seed feeding trials to quantify individual differences in disperser quality within the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) using seeds of two aquatic plants: unbranched bur-reed (Sparganium emersum, Sparganiaceae) and arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia, Alismataceae). I found substantial variation among carp individuals in their propensity to ingest seeds and their ability to digest them, resulting in up to 31-fold differences in the probability of seed dispersal. In addition, there were significant differences in the time that seeds are retained in their digestive systems, generating a twofold difference in the maximum distance over which they can potentially disperse seeds. I propose that seed-eating animal species consist of individuals that display continuous variation in disperser quality, with at one end of the continuum individuals that are likely to eat seeds, pass them unharmed through their digestive tract and transport them over large distances to new locations (i.e. high-quality seed dispersers) and at the other end individuals that rarely eat seeds, destroy most of the ones they ingest and transport the few surviving seeds over relatively short distances (low-quality seed dispersers). Although individual differences in seed dispersal quality could be the result of a variety of factors, these results underline the ecological and evolutionary potential of such variation for both plants and animals.
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Morán-López T, Wiegand T, Morales JM, Valladares F, Díaz M. Predicting forest management effects on oak-rodent mutualisms. OIKOS 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Morán-López
- Dept of Biogeography and Global Change (BCG-MNCN); Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC ES-28006 Madrid Spain
| | - Thorsten Wiegand
- Dept of Ecological Modeling; Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ; DE-04318 Leipzig Germany
| | - Juan Manuel Morales
- Laboratorio Ecotono, INIBIOMA-CONICET, Univ. Nacional del Comahue; Black River Argentina
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Dept of Biogeography and Global Change (BCG-MNCN); Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC ES-28006 Madrid Spain
| | - Mario Díaz
- Dept of Biogeography and Global Change (BCG-MNCN); Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales; CSIC ES-28006 Madrid Spain
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Picard M, Papaïx J, Gosselin F, Picot D, Bideau E, Baltzinger C. Temporal dynamics of seed excretion by wild ungulates: implications for plant dispersal. Ecol Evol 2015; 5:2621-32. [PMID: 26257875 PMCID: PMC4523358 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2014] [Revised: 02/27/2015] [Accepted: 03/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Dispersal is a key process in metapopulation dynamics as it conditions species’ spatial responses to gradients of abiotic and biotic conditions and triggers individual and gene flows. In the numerous plants that are dispersed through seed consumption by herbivores (endozoochory), the distance and effectiveness of dispersal is determined by the combined effects of seed retention time in the vector’s digestive system, the spatial extent of its movements, and the ability of the seeds to germinate once released. Estimating these three parameters from experimental data is therefore crucial to calibrate mechanistic metacommunity models of plant–herbivore interactions. In this study, we jointly estimated the retention time and germination probability of six herbaceous plants transported by roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) through feeding experiments and a Bayesian dynamic model. Retention time was longer in the nonruminant wild boar (>36 h) than in the two ruminant species (roe deer: 18–36 h, red deer: 3–36 h). In the two ruminants, but not in wild boar, small and round seeds were excreted faster than large ones. Low germination probabilities of the excreted seeds reflected the high cost imposed by endozoochory on plant survival. Trait-mediated variations in retention time and germination probability among animal and plant species may impact plant dispersal distances and interact with biotic and abiotic conditions at the release site to shape the spatial patterns of dispersed plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie Picard
- Irstea, UR EFNO, centre de Nogent-sur-Vernisson F-45290, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Julien Papaïx
- UR BIOGER, INRA, Avenue Lucien Brétignières BP01, 78850, Thiverval-Grignon, France ; UR MIAJ, INRA, Domaine de Vilvert 78352, Jouy-en-Josas CEDEX, France ; Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, UMR 5175, campus CNRS 1919 Route de Mende, 34293, Montpellier 5, France
| | - Frédéric Gosselin
- Irstea, UR EFNO, centre de Nogent-sur-Vernisson F-45290, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
| | - Denis Picot
- UR CEFS, INRA BP 52627, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Eric Bideau
- UR CEFS, INRA BP 52627, 31326, Castanet-Tolosan, France
| | - Christophe Baltzinger
- Irstea, UR EFNO, centre de Nogent-sur-Vernisson F-45290, Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France
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Affiliation(s)
- Alistair G. Auffret
- Landscape Ecology; Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology; Stockholm University; Stockholm 106 91 Sweden
| | - Johan Berg
- Department of Human Geography; Stockholm University; Stockholm 106 91 Sweden
| | - Sara A.O. Cousins
- Landscape Ecology; Department of Physical Geography and Quaternary Geology; Stockholm University; Stockholm 106 91 Sweden
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Abstract
AbstractResearch on moose-mediated seed dispersal is limited. However, its potential role in transferring seeds in patchy landscapes may be of great importance. In this work we examined how seasons and vegetation diversity influence the species richness and abundance of seeds dispersed endozoochorically by moose. Samples of moose faeces were collected year-round, fortnightly, from contrasting vegetation types, dominated by diverse, species-rich wetland or poor, dry pine forest. The viable seed content of dung was studied by the seedling emergence method. The mean number of emerged seedlings per 0.8 L sample and the mean number of plant species per 0.8 L sample were several times higher in the diverse wetland vegetation than in the poor pine forest vegetation. Maximum species richness and seed abundance was observed during the fructification period, and the minimum during spring. The species richness of samples did not differ between winter and the growing season, although the composition of plant species was different. The results of this study suggest that moose are efficient seed vectors, especially of grasses typical for grasslands and wetlands. The species richness and abundance of dispersed seeds coincides with the diversity of the vegetation of the animal’s habitat.
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Mládek J, Mládková P, Hejcmanová P, Dvorský M, Pavlu V, De Bello F, Duchoslav M, Hejcman M, Pakeman RJ. Plant trait assembly affects superiority of grazer's foraging strategies in species-rich grasslands. PLoS One 2013; 8:e69800. [PMID: 23922805 PMCID: PMC3724891 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0069800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Accepted: 06/12/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Current plant – herbivore interaction models and experiments with mammalian herbivores grazing plant monocultures show the superiority of a maximizing forage quality strategy (MFQ) over a maximizing intake strategy (MI). However, there is a lack of evidence whether grazers comply with the model predictions under field conditions. Methodology/Findings We assessed diet selection of sheep (Ovis aries) using plant functional traits in productive mesic vs. low-productivity dry species-rich grasslands dominated by resource-exploitative vs. resource-conservative species respectively. Each grassland type was studied in two replicates for two years. We investigated the first grazing cycle in a set of 288 plots with a diameter of 30 cm, i.e. the size of sheep feeding station. In mesic grasslands, high plot defoliation was associated with community weighted means of leaf traits referring to high forage quality, i.e. low leaf dry matter content (LDMC) and high specific leaf area (SLA), with a high proportion of legumes and the most with high community weighted mean of forage indicator value. In contrast in dry grasslands, high community weighted mean of canopy height, an estimate of forage quantity, was the best predictor of plot defoliation. Similar differences in selection on forage quality vs. quantity were detected within plots. Sheep selected plants with higher forage indicator values than the plot specific community weighted mean of forage indicator value in mesic grasslands whereas taller plants were selected in dry grasslands. However, at this scale sheep avoided legumes and plants with higher SLA, preferred plants with higher LDMC while grazing plants with higher forage indicator values in mesic grasslands. Conclusions Our findings indicate that MFQ appears superior over MI only in habitats with a predominance of resource-exploitative species. Furthermore, plant functional traits (LDMC, SLA, nitrogen fixer) seem to be helpful correlates of forage quality only at the community level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Mládek
- Department of Botany, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
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D'hondt B, Hoffmann M, Bonte D. Selection on plant height through the interplay of landscape and large herbivores. OIKOS 2012. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2012.20522.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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