Seasonal synchronization of seed release phenology promotes long-distance seed dispersal by wind for tree species with medium wind dispersal potential

2015 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1090-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix Heydel ◽  
Sarah Cunze ◽  
Markus Bernhardt-Römermann ◽  
Oliver Tackenberg
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Wind Dispersal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dispersal Potential ◽  
Seasonal Synchronization

Long-distance wind dispersal of tree seeds

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 1036-1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. F. Greene ◽  
E. A. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Conservation Biology ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Wind Dispersal ◽  
Source Strength ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Model Predictions ◽  
Tree Seeds ◽  
The Relationship

Long-distance seed dispersal figures prominently in most plant conservation biology arguments, yet we possess little more than anecdotes concerning the relationship among deposition (seeds/m2), source strength (seeds/m2), and distance. In this paper we derive two simple models for long-distance deposition. The models are tested at the scale of 100–1600 m from the source and found to be within 5-fold of the observed deposition. There is no discernable decline in deposition for the range 300–1600 m. While we hesitate to extend model predictions to greater distances, both the models and the empirical results allow us to assert that rare wind-dispersed species in woodlots (dispersal distance around 1 km) are effectively isolated from one another at the temporal scale of 1000 years. Key words: plant conservation biology, wind dispersal of seeds, metapopulations.

scholarly journals Contrasting genetic signal of recolonization after rainforest fragmentation in African trees with different dispersal abilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (27) ◽  
pp. e2013979118
Author(s):  
Rosalía Piñeiro ◽  
Olivier J. Hardy ◽  
Carolina Tovar ◽  
Shyam Gopalakrishnan ◽  
Filipe Garrett Vieira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Forest Fragmentation ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Genetic Admixture ◽  
Demographic Model ◽  
Long Distance

Although today the forest cover is continuous in Central Africa, this may have not always been the case, as the scarce fossil record in this region suggests that arid conditions might have significantly reduced tree density during the ice ages. Our aim was to investigate whether the dry ice age periods left a genetic signature on tree species that can be used to infer the date of the past fragmentation of the rainforest. We sequenced reduced representation libraries of 182 samples representing five widespread legume trees and seven outgroups. Phylogenetic analyses identified an early divergent lineage for all species in West Africa (Upper Guinea) and two clades in Central Africa: Lower Guinea-North and Lower Guinea-South. As the structure separating the Northern and Southern clades—congruent across species—cannot be explained by geographic barriers, we tested other hypotheses with demographic model testing using δαδι. The best estimates indicate that the two clades split between the Upper Pliocene and the Pleistocene, a date compatible with forest fragmentation driven by ice age climatic oscillations. Furthermore, we found remarkably older split dates for the shade-tolerant tree species with nonassisted seed dispersal than for light-demanding species with long-distance wind-dispersed seeds. Different recolonization abilities after recurrent cycles of forest fragmentation seem to explain why species with long-distance dispersal show more recent genetic admixture between the two clades than species with limited seed dispersal. Despite their old history, our results depict the African rainforests as a dynamic biome where tree species have expanded relatively recently after the last glaciation.

The importance of long-distance seed dispersal for the demography and distribution of a canopy tree species

Ecology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 952-962 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Trevor Caughlin ◽  
Jake M. Ferguson ◽  
Jeremy W. Lichstein ◽  
Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin ◽  
Douglas J. Levey
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Canopy Tree ◽  
Canopy Tree Species

The Asian elephant is amongst the top three frugivores of two tree species with easily edible fruit

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 385-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nitin Sekar ◽  
Raman Sukumar
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Asian Elephant ◽  
Functional Ecology ◽  
Large Animal ◽  
Fruit Removal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Tropical Asia ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Local Extirpation

Abstract:Large animal species are prone to local extirpation, but ecologists cannot yet predict how the loss of megaherbivores affects ecosystem processes such as seed dispersal. Few studies have compared the quantity and quality of seed dispersal by megaherbivores versus alternative frugivores in the wild, particularly for plant species with fruit easily consumed by many frugivorous species. In a disturbed tropical moist forest in India, we examine whether megaherbivores are a major frugivore of two tree species with easily edible, mammal-dispersed fruit. We quantify the relative fruit removal rates of Artocarpus chaplasha and Careya arborea, by the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and alternative dispersers. Through focal watches and camera trapping, we found the elephant to be amongst the top three frugivores for each tree species. Furthermore, seed transects under A. chaplasha show that arboreal frugivores discard seeds only a short distance from the parental tree, underscoring the elephant's role as a long-distance disperser. Our data provide unprecedented support for an old notion: megaherbivores may be key dispersers for a broad set of mammal-dispersed fruiting species, and not just fruit inaccessible to smaller frugivores. As such, the elephant may be particularly important for the functional ecology of the disturbed forests it still inhabits across tropical Asia.

scholarly journals Testing the competition-colonization trade-off and its correlations with functional trait variations among subtropical tree species

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Bin ◽  
Guojun Lin ◽  
Sabrina E. Russo ◽  
Zhongliang Huang ◽  
Yong Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Significant Negative Correlation ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Neighborhood Models ◽  
Adult Trees ◽  
Colonization Ability

Abstract The competition-colonization trade-off, by which species can partition spatial niches, is a potentially important mechanism allowing the maintenance of species diversity in plant communities. We examined whether there was evidence for this trade-off among tree species in a subtropical forest and how it correlated with eight functional traits. We developed and estimated a metric for colonization ability that incorporates both fecundity and seed dispersal based on seed trap data and the sizes and distributions of adult trees. Competitive ability was estimated as survival probability under high crowding conditions based on neighborhood models. Although we found no significant relationship between colonization and competitive abilities, there was a significant negative correlation between long distance dispersal ability and competitive ability at the 5 cm size class. Colonizers had traits associated with faster growth, such as large leaves and low leaf lamina density, whereas competitors had traits associated with higher survival, such as dense wood. Our results imply that any trade-off between competition and colonization may be more determined by dispersal ability than by fecundity, suggesting that seed dispersal is an important contributor to diversity maintenance. Future work should test how competitive ability covaries with the components of colonization ability, as we did here.

Mechanistic Analytical Models for Long-Distance Seed Dispersal by Wind

2005 ◽  
Vol 166 (3) ◽  
pp. 368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katul ◽  
Porporato ◽  
Nathan ◽  
Siqueira ◽  
Soons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Long Distance

scholarly journals Fire suppression and seed dispersal play critical roles in the establishment of tropical forest tree species in southeastern Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomohiro Fujita
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Fire Suppression ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Seedling Mortality ◽  
Forest Tree Species ◽  
Seed Deposition ◽  
Syzygium Guineense

AbstractThis study examined the mechanisms of facilitation and importance of seed dispersal during establishment of forest tree species in an Afrotropical woodland. Seedling survival of Syzygium guineense ssp. afromontanum was monitored for 2.5 years at four different microsites in savannah woodland in Malawi (southeastern Africa) under Ficus natalensis (a potential nurse plant), Brachystegia floribunda (a woodland tree), Uapaca kirkiana (a woodland tree), and at a treeless site. The number of naturally established forest tree seedlings in the woodland was also counted. Additionally, S. guineense ssp. afromontanum seed deposition was monitored at the four microsites. Insect damage (9% of the total cause of mortality) and trampling by ungulates (1%) had limited impact on seedling survival in this area. Fire (43%) was found to be the most important cause of seedling mortality and fire induced mortality was especially high under U. kirkiana (74%) and at treeless site (51%). The rate was comparatively low under F. natalensis (4%) and B. floribunda (23%), where fire is thought to be inhibited due to the lack of light-demanding C4 grasses. Consequently, seedling survival under F. natalensis and B. floribunda was higher compared with the other two microsites. The seedling survival rate was similar under F. natalensis (57%) and B. floribunda (59%). However, only a few S. guineense ssp. afromontanum seedlings naturally established under B. floribunda (25/285) whereas many seedlings established under F. natalensis (146/285). These findings indicate that the facilitative mechanism of fire suppression is not the only factor affecting establishment. The seed deposition investigation revealed that most of the seeds (85%) were deposited under F. natalensis. As such, these findings suggest that in addition to fire suppression, dispersal limitations also play a role in forest-savannah dynamics in this region, especially at the community level.

scholarly journals Seed dispersal potential of Asian elephants

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 144-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franziska K. Harich ◽  
Anna C. Treydte ◽  
Joseph O. Ogutu ◽  
John E. Roberts ◽  
Chution Savini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Asian Elephants ◽  
Dispersal Potential
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