Intestinal Transit: How Can It Be Delayed Long Enough for Birds to Act as Long-Distance Dispersal Agents?

The Auk ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 109 (4) ◽  
pp. 933-936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary H. Clench ◽  
John R. Mathias
Keyword(s):  
Intestinal Transit ◽  
Long Distance Dispersal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dispersal Agents

The angiosperm flora of the Archipelago Juan Fernandez (Chile): origin and dispersal

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (8) ◽  
pp. 1266-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Bernardello ◽  
Gregory J. Anderson ◽  
Tod F. Stuessy ◽  
Daniel J. Crawford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Unit Length ◽  
Long Distance Dispersal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dioecious Species ◽  
Dispersal Capability ◽  
Dispersal Unit ◽  
Unisexual Flowers ◽  
Dispersal Agents ◽  
Seeds And Fruits

We review the hypothesized origin and the methods of arrival of the angiosperm colonists to the Juan Fernandez Islands. We also summarize the dispersal capabilities of the current flora, including data on fruit type, fruit length, and dispersal unit length, correlating these features with dispersal and establishment. Most species originated from South America, followed by Pantropical, Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific colonizers. Sea and land birds were the most important initial long-distance dispersal agents. Most colonizing species are hermaphroditic flowered, and thus all dispersal methods are represented among them. Monoecious, andromonoecious and gynomonoecious, dioecious, and polygamous species were mainly carried by birds. Most wind- and bird-pollinated colonizing genera arrived with birds as did most annual herbs and species with bright-colored flowers. In the current flora, the majority of the species have dry fruits. In monoecious, andromonoecious and gynomonoecious, and dioecious species, achenes predominate. Fleshy fruits are limited to perennials. Most species have medium to small dispersal units, and generally, the larger the flower, the larger the fruit. Large- and medium-sized dispersal units are common in shrubs and trees. Abiotic dispersal is common in the current flora, which may reflect the ancestral dispersal capability of the colonizers, or adaptation to the absence of a fauna to disperse seeds and fruits. Anemochorous and autochorous species are mainly perennial and have medium to large, unisexual flowers. Anemochorous species have small dispersal units and dull-colored flowers, whereas large dispersal units and brightly colored flowers are frequent in autochorous species. Medium-sized dispersal units are represented in autochorous or ornithochorous species. The establishment and evolution of this flora was previously discussed to have occurred with very few pollination and (or) reproductive options. This study suggests that elements associated with dispersal are also analogously limited.

Comment on ‘Seagrass Viviparous Propagules as a Potential Long-Distance Dispersal Mechanism’ by A. C. G. Thomson et al.

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 290-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Sinclair ◽  
Renae Hovey ◽  
John Statton ◽  
Matthew W. Fraser ◽  
Marion L. Cambridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Long Distance Dispersal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Dispersal Mechanism

An unexpected new record of the Mediterranean orchid, Ophrys bertolonii (Orchidaceae) in Central Europe

Biologia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Attila Molnár V ◽  
András Máté ◽  
Gábor Sramkó
Keyword(s):  
Central Europe ◽  
New Record ◽  
Dispersal Ability ◽  
Long Distance Dispersal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Permanent Establishment ◽  
Adriatic Coast ◽  
Northward Expansion ◽  
Mediterranean Plant

AbstractOne flowering specimen of Ophrys bertolonii (s. str.) — a plant with a Circum-Adriatic distribution and hitherto unknown in other regions — was found on 7th May 2010 in the vicinity of Kunadacs (Central Hungary; N 47°00′ E 19°17′). The nearest known populations of this Mediterranean plant inhabit the Adriatic coast (ca. 450 km away) in Croatia, therefore this new occurrence represents a significant long distance dispersal event. The circumstances of the occurrence argue against introduction, but we can not decide now whether this new appearance is temporary or permanent. The permanent establishment of this strictly entomophilous plant requires the presence of its specific pollinator in the close neighbourhood of the habitat. However, no pollination was observed on the three flowers of the plant until 9th May, and one day later the stem had disappeared most likely due to grazing. Whatever the long-term fate of the plant is, this discovery represents a significant long distance (jump) dispersal event, and testifies to the dispersal ability of Ophrys species. Additionally, the appearance of a mature Adriatic plant in Central Europe fits well into the currently observed, climate change driven northward expansion of European orchids, therefore this finding most likely reflects a growing Mediterranean-like climatic influence in the region.

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