Seed Dispersal in the Dark: Shedding Light on the Role of Fruit Bats in Africa

Biotropica ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 450-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie E. Seltzer ◽  
Henry J. Ndangalasi ◽  
Norbert J. Cordeiro
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Fruit Bats

scholarly journals Fruit-eating fishes of Banara arguta (Salicaceae) in the Miranda River floodplain, Pantanal wetland

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Costa-Pereira ◽  
Francisco Severo-Neto ◽  
Tamires Soares Yule ◽  
Ana Paula Tinti Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Fish Assemblage ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Ecological Studies ◽  
Dispersal Strategy ◽  
Ecological Consequences ◽  
River Floodplain ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
Pantanal Wetland

The role of fish as frugivorous and its ecological consequences are often neglected in ecological studies. However, the importance of the interaction between fish and plants is gaining force in scientific literature, and fish has been considered effective seed dispersers. The fruit-eating fish assemblage of Banara arguta (Salicaceae) was evaluated in Southern Pantanal wetlands. Nine species were reported consuming fruits, with different strategies to capture them. The distribution of B. arguta associated with the Pantanal floodplain and the presence of several species of fruit-eating fish, suggest that ichthyochory can be an important seed dispersal strategy to B. arguta.

Ecological role of bracteoles in seed dispersal and germination of the North African halophyte Atriplex mollis under contrasting environments

2019 ◽  
Vol 166 (4) ◽  
pp. 478-486
Author(s):  
Abderrazak Tlili ◽  
Jamila Zammouri ◽  
Mustapha Gorai ◽  
Mohamed Neffati
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Ecological Role ◽  
North African ◽  
The North

On tropical mistletoes: tractable models for evolutionary ecology, ecosystem function, and phytochemistry

Botany ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 211-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Host Range ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Ecosystem Function ◽  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Evolutionary Trajectory ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Wide Range

In 2001, I synthesised published information on mistletoe–animal interactions, demonstrating the pervasive influence these hemiparasites have on community composition and proposing that mistletoes represent keystone resources. Although the review was global in scope, I noted “Tropical regions, in particular, are underrepresented in the mistletoe literature, and it is unclear if mistletoe is as important in structuring these highly diverse ecosystems as in less diverse temperate areas”. Since then, research on tropical mistletoes has burgeoned, as a growing number of researchers use these forest and woodland hemiparasites to address a wide range of ecological and evolutionary questions. In this commentary, I highlight some recent findings, revisit and refine some emergent inferences, and suggest that tropical mistletoes offer many opportunities for further research, representing tractable models to address many unanswered questions in the life sciences. As well as reinforcing the role of mistletoes as facilitators for plant communities and keystone resources for animal assemblages, research on mistletoe pollination, seed dispersal, and host-range, challenge the established views about the ecological maintenance and evolutionary trajectory of specialization.

THE ROLE OF ANTS IN SEED DISPERSAL OF GLOBBA LANCANGENSIS AND THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF ITS SEEDLINGS

2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-217
Author(s):  
CHEN Fan ◽  
CHEN Jin ◽  
LIU Zhi-Qiu ◽  
ZHANG Ling ◽  
LIU Yong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Seed Dispersal

Vertical stratification of fruit bats (Pteropodidae) in lowland dipterocarp rainforest in Malaysia

1994 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles M. Francis
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Forest Regeneration ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Peninsular Malaysia ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
Fruit Bats ◽  
Lowland Rainforest ◽  
Capture Rates ◽  
Foraging Ranges

ABSTRACTMistnets were set at ground level and 11–30 m above ground in lowland rainforest at Kuala Lompat in peninsular Malaysia, and Sepilok in Sabah, to compare the abundance of fruit bats in the subcanopy and at ground level. Capture rates in the subcanopy were up to 100 times greater than at ground level, averaging 3–7 bats per net-night. Species diversity was higher in the subcanopy than forest understorey. Two species that were frequently captured in the subcanopy,Megaerops wetmoreiandDyacopterus spadiceus, were previously thought to be rare. The abundance of Old World fruit bats in the subcanopy indicates that their roles in pollination and seed dispersal of Malaysian forest trees may be greater than previously recognized. Further research on foraging ranges, food selection and roosting habits is required to determine the overall importance of fruit bats in forest regeneration through seed dispersal, and the adequacy of existing reserves for their conservation.

Role of mucilage in seed dispersal and germination of the annual ephemeral Alyssum minus (Brassicaceae)

2012 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Sun ◽  
Dun Y. Tan ◽  
Carol C. Baskin ◽  
Jerry M. Baskin
Keyword(s):  
Water Stress ◽  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Water Reservoir ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Moisture Stress ◽  
West China ◽  
North West ◽  
Seed Age

Seeds of Alyssum minus, an annual ephemeral in shrublands of north-west China, can produce a large amount of mucilage. The primary aim of this study was to explore the role of mucilage in seed dispersal, settlement onto the soil surface and germination of this species. Width of imbibed seeds with mucilage was three times greater than that of seeds without mucilage, and mass of mucilage increased 167 times after imbibition. Expanded dry mucilage significantly increased wind dispersal of seeds. Floating time on water was greatest for seeds without mucilage, and adherence of soil particles to seeds was greater for seeds with mucilage than for those without mucilage. Mucilage increased rate of water uptake and decreased rate of water loss, and it significantly decreased germination of 0- and 4-week-old seeds. Gibberellic acid promoted germination of 0- and 4-week-old seeds with and without mucilage, but its effect depended on seed age and incubation temperature. Seeds with mucilage subjected to water stress during imbibition and/or incubation germinated faster than those without mucilage. Presence of mucilage on seeds during imbibition significantly increased germination percentages under increased water stress, a first report of this phenomenon. The study has shown that the mucilage of A. minus plays an important role in seed dispersal, seed adhesion to soil (thereby minimising removal by water and predators), seed hydration via increasing surface contact with the substrate, and can serve as a water reservoir for germination, especially under moisture stress.

scholarly journals The role of hydrodynamics on seed dispersal in seagrasses

2012 ◽  
Vol 57 (5) ◽  
pp. 1257-1265 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ruiz-Montoya ◽  
R. J. Lowe ◽  
K. P. Van Niel ◽  
G. A. Kendrick
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal

scholarly journals The Role of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) in the Plant Seed Dispersal of Golestan National Park

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-42
Author(s):  
S. karimi ◽  
M.R. Hemami ◽  
M. Tarkesh Esfahani ◽  
Ch. Baltzinger ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
National Park ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Brown Bear ◽  
Plant Seed

scholarly journals A missing link in mutualistic networks: symbiotic fungi in plant-animal interactions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscila Chaverri ◽  
Gloriana Chaverri
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Plant Disease ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Tropical Plants ◽  
Mutualistic Relationship ◽  
Symbiotic Fungi ◽  
Mutualistic Networks ◽  
Microbial Symbionts ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions

AbstractWe explored the hypothesis of an indirect mutualistic relationship (i.e., when the association between two species is modified by a third one) within a plant-animal seed dispersal network. Bats are important long-distance dispersers of many tropical plants, yet, by consuming fruits they may disperse not only the plant’s seeds, but also the endosymbiotic fungi within those fruits. We characterized fungal communities in fruits of Ficus colubrinae and in feces of Ectophylla alba to determine if passage through the digestive tract of the bats affected the total mycobiome. Results show a significant reduction, after passage through the gut, of fungi known to be plant pathogenic, while abundance of species known to have beneficial properties significantly increased. These findings suggest that the role of frugivores in plant-animal mutualistic networks may extend beyond seed dispersal: they also promote the dispersal of potentially beneficial microbial symbionts while hindering those that can cause plant disease.

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