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 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.

scholarly journals High matrix vegetation decreases mean seed dispersal distance but increases long wind dispersal probability connecting local plant populations in agricultural landscapes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sissi Donna Lozada Gobilard ◽  
Florian Jeltsch ◽  
Jinlei Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Population Connectivity ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Long Distance Dispersal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Vegetation Height ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Seed Dispersal Distance

Abstract Background Seed dispersal plays an important role in population dynamics in agricultural ecosystems, but the effects of surrounding vegetation height on seed dispersal and population connectivity on the landscape scale have rarely been studied. Understanding the effects of surrounding vegetation height on seed dispersal will provide important information for land use management in agricultural landscapes to prevent the spread of undesired weeds or enhance functional connectivity. Methods We used two model species, Phragmites australis and Typha latifolia, growing in small natural ponds known as kettle holes, in an agricultural landscape to evaluate the effects of surrounding vegetation height on wind dispersal and population connectivity between kettle holes. Seed dispersal distance and the probability of long-distance dispersal (LDD) were simulated with the mechanistic WALD model under three scenarios of “low”, “dynamic” and “high” surrounding vegetation height. Connectivity between the origin and target kettle holes was quantified with a connectivity index adapted from Hanski and Thomas (1994). Results Our results show that mean seed dispersal distance decreases with the height of surrounding matrix vegetation, but the probability of long-distance dispersal (LDD) increases with vegetation height. This indicates an important vegetation-based trade-off between mean dispersal distance and LDD, which has an impact on connectivity. Conclusions Matrix vegetation height has a negative effect on mean seed dispersal distance but a positive effect on the probability of LDD. This positive effect and its impact on connectivity provide novel insights into landscape level (meta-)population and community dynamics — a change in matrix vegetation height by land use or climatic changes could strongly affect the spread and connectivity of wind-dispersed plants. The opposite effect of vegetation height on mean seed dispersal distance and the probability of LDD should therefore be considered in management and analyses of future land use and climate change effects.

scholarly journals Dispersal distances and migration rates at the arctic treeline in Siberia – a genetic and simulation-based study

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1211-1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kruse ◽  
Alexander Gerdes ◽  
Nadja J. Kath ◽  
Laura S. Epp ◽  
Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Parentage Analysis ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Climate Feedback ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Central Siberia ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
Dispersal Distances ◽  
And Migration

Abstract. A strong temperature increase in the Arctic is expected to lead to latitudinal treeline shift. This tundra–taiga turnover would cause a positive vegetation–climate feedback due to albedo decrease. However, reliable estimates of tree migration rates are currently lacking due to the complex processes involved in forest establishment, which depend strongly on seed dispersal. We aim to fill this gap using LAVESI, an individual-based and spatially explicit Larix vegetation simulator. LAVESI was designed to simulate plots within homogeneous forests. Here, we improve the implementation of the seed dispersal function via field-based investigations. We inferred the effective seed dispersal distances of a typical open-forest stand on the southern Taymyr Peninsula (northern central Siberia) from genetic parentage analysis using eight nuclear microsatellite markers. The parentage analysis gives effective seed dispersal distances (median ∼10 m) close to the seed parents. A comparison between simulated and observed effective seed dispersal distances reveals an overestimation of recruits close to the releasing tree and a shorter dispersal distance generally. We thus adapted our model and used the newly parameterised version to simulate south-to-north transects; a slow-moving treeline front was revealed. The colonisation of the tundra areas was assisted by occasional long-distance seed dispersal events beyond the treeline area. The treeline (∼1 tree ha−1) advanced by ∼1.6 m yr−1, whereas the forest line (∼100 trees ha−1) advanced by only ∼0.6 m yr−1. We conclude that the treeline in northern central Siberia currently lags behind the current strong warming and will continue to lag in the near future.

scholarly journals Long Distance Seed Dispersal by Forest Elephants

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Poulsen ◽  
Christopher Beirne ◽  
Colin Rundel ◽  
Melissa Baldino ◽  
Seokmin Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Passage Time ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Gut Passage ◽  
Average Maximum ◽  
Forest Elephants ◽  
Dispersal Distances

By dispersing seeds long distances, large, fruit-eating animals influence plant population spread and community dynamics. After fruit consumption, animal gut passage time and movement determine seed dispersal patterns and distances. These, in turn, are influenced by extrinsic, environmental variables and intrinsic, individual-level variables. We simulated seed dispersal by forest elephants (Loxodonta cyclotis) by integrating gut passage data from wild elephants with movement data from 96 individuals. On average, elephants dispersed seeds 5.3 km, with 89% of seeds dispersed farther than 1 km. The longest simulated seed dispersal distance was 101 km, with an average maximum dispersal distance of 40.1 km. Seed dispersal distances varied among national parks, perhaps due to unmeasured environmental differences such as habitat heterogeneity and configuration, but not with human disturbance or habitat openness. On average, male elephants dispersed seeds farther than females. Elephant behavioral traits strongly influenced dispersal distances, with bold, exploratory elephants dispersing seeds 1.1 km farther than shy, idler elephants. Protection of forest elephants, particularly males and highly mobile, exploratory individuals, is critical to maintaining long distance seed dispersal services that shape plant communities and tropical forest habitat.

scholarly journals Dispersal distances and migration rates at the arctic treeline in Siberia – a genetic and simulation based study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kruse ◽  
Alexander Gerdes ◽  
Nadja J. Kath ◽  
Laura S. Epp ◽  
Kathleen R. Stoof-Leichsenring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Parentage Analysis ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Climate Feedback ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
North Central ◽  
Central Siberia ◽  
Migration Rates ◽  
Dispersal Distances

Abstract. A strong temperature increase in the Arctic is expected to lead to latitudinal treeline shift. This tundra-taiga turnover would cause a positive vegetation-climate feedback due to albedo decrease. However, reliable estimates of tree migration rates are currently lacking due to the complex processes involved in forest establishment, which depend strongly on seed dispersal. We aim to fill this gap using LAVESI, an individual-based and spatially explicit Larix vegetation simulator. LAVESI was designed to simulate plots within homogeneous forests. Here, we improve the implementation of the seed dispersal function via field-based investigations. We inferred the effective seed dispersal distances of a typical open forest stand on the southern Taymyr Peninsula (north-central Siberia) from genetic parentage analysis using eight highly polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci. The parentage analysis gives effective seed dispersal distances (median ~ 10 m) close to the seed parents. A comparison between simulated and observed effective seed dispersal distances reveals an overestimation of recruits close to the releasing tree and a shorter dispersal distance generally. We thus adapted our model and used it to simulate south-to-north transects: a slow-moving treeline front was revealed. The colonisation of the tundra areas was assisted by occasional long-distance seed dispersal events beyond the treeline area. The treeline (~ 1 tree ha−1) advanced by ~ 1.6 m yr−1, whereas the forest line (~ 100 trees ha−1) advanced by only ~ 0.6 m yr−1. We conclude that the treeline in north-central Siberia currently lags behind the current strong warming and will continue to lag in the near future.

scholarly journals Seed-dispersal distributions by trumpeter hornbills in fragmented landscapes

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1716) ◽  
pp. 2257-2264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johanna Lenz ◽  
Wolfgang Fiedler ◽  
Tanja Caprano ◽  
Wolfgang Friedrichs ◽  
Bernhard H. Gaese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Fragmented Landscape ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Frugivorous Birds ◽  
Fragmented Landscapes ◽  
Habitat Patches ◽  
Dispersal Distances

Frugivorous birds provide important ecosystem services by transporting seeds of fleshy fruited plants. It has been assumed that seed-dispersal kernels generated by these animals are generally leptokurtic, resulting in little dispersal among habitat fragments. However, little is known about the seed-dispersal distribution generated by large frugivorous birds in fragmented landscapes. We investigated movement and seed-dispersal patterns of trumpeter hornbills ( Bycanistes bucinator ) in a fragmented landscape in South Africa. Novel GPS loggers provide high-quality location data without bias against recording long-distance movements. We found a very weakly bimodal seed-dispersal distribution with potential dispersal distances up to 14.5 km. Within forest, the seed-dispersal distribution was unimodal with an expected dispersal distance of 86 m. In the fragmented agricultural landscape, the distribution was strongly bimodal with peaks at 18 and 512 m. Our results demonstrate that seed-dispersal distributions differed when birds moved in different habitat types. Seed-dispersal distances in fragmented landscapes show that transport among habitat patches is more frequent than previously assumed, allowing plants to disperse among habitat patches and to track the changing climatic conditions.

scholarly journals Long-distance dispersal of oilseed rape seeds: The role of grain trailers

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane Bailleul ◽  
Sébastien Ollier ◽  
Jane Lecomte
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Oilseed Rape ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Dispersal Distance ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dispersal Capacity ◽  
Plant Cultivation ◽  
Feral Populations

AbstractIn agroecosystems, anthropogenic activities can modify the natural dispersal capacity of crops and their capacity to establish feral populations. In the case of oilseed rape (OSR), seed spillage from grain trailers during harvest was first quantified by an in situ scientific study (Selommes, Loir-et-Cher, France). Demographic analysis of seeds collected from 85 traps set on road verges suggested that OSR dispersal distance due to seed spillage from grain trailers can be up to 400m. In the present study, we used SSR markers to genotype seeds collected from trap-sites and from surrounding OSR fields to precisely estimate the distances between traps and fields. Trailer directions on each road were also considered. Few seeds (5.8%) were not linked to a field in the studied area, while most of the seeds (59.2%) were linked to a field situated over 400 m away. The overall mean dispersal distance was 1250 m. It ranged from 308 m to 1392 m for one-lane roads, and from 1048 m to 1404 m for two-lane roads. Events of seed dispersal at greater distances (> 5 km) were rare but still possible. It thus follows that OSR seed dispersal due to spillage from grain trailers should be carefully considered in the context of genetically modified plant cultivation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document