scholarly journals Burrowing Parrots Cyanoliseus patagonus as Long-Distance Seed Dispersers of Keystone Algarrobos, Genus Prosopis, in the Monte Desert

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
Guillermo Blanco ◽  
Pedro Romero-Vidal ◽  
Martina Carrete ◽  
Daniel Chamorro ◽  
Carolina Bravo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Monte Desert ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions

Understanding of ecosystem structure and functioning requires detailed knowledge about plant–animal interactions, especially when keystone species are involved. The recent consideration of parrots as legitimate seed dispersers has widened the range of mechanisms influencing the life cycle of many plant species. We examined the interactions between the burrowing parrot Cyanoliseus patagonus and two dominant algarrobo trees (Prosopis alba and Prosopis nigra) in the Monte Desert, Argentina. We recorded the abundance and foraging behaviour of parrots; quantified the handling, consumption, wasting, and dispersal of ripe and unripe pods; and tested the viability of soft and hard ripe seeds wasted and transported by parrots. We found a high abundance of burrowing parrots. They predated on soft seeds from unripe pods while exclusively feeding upon pulp wrapping hard seeds from ripe pods. Frequent pod wasting beneath the plant or transport at a distance invariably implied the dispersal of multiple seeds in each event. Moreover, soft seeds retained viability after desiccation outside the mother plant, suggesting effective seed dispersal after partial pod predation due to a predator satiation effect. In about half of the foraging flocks, at least one parrot departed in flight with pods in its beak, with 10–34% of the flock components moving pods at distances averaging 238 m (P. alba) and 418 m (P. nigra). A snapshot sampling of faeces from livestock and wild mammals suggested a low frequency of seed dispersal by endozoochory and secondary dispersal by ants and dung beetles. The nomadic movements and long flights of burrowing parrots between breeding and foraging sites can lead to the dispersal of huge amounts of seeds across large areas that are sequentially exploited. Further research should evaluate the role of the burrowing parrot as a functionally unique species in the structure of the Monte Desert woods and the genetic structure of algarrobo species.

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.

scholarly journals Conservation status of the littoral forest of south-eastern Madagascar: a review

Oryx ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
An Bollen ◽  
Giuseppe Donati
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Endemic Plant ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Littoral Forest ◽  
Plant Animal Interactions ◽  
Conservation Plans ◽  
Near Future

The littoral forest of the Fort Dauphin region of south-east Madagascar is expected to lose numerous endemic plant and animal species in the near future as a result of deforestation and consequent habitat changes. The disruption of plant-animal interactions is of particular concern. This review describes the conservation status of the littoral forest of Sainte Luce, Fort Dauphin, and examines the role of animal-facilitated seed dispersal in regeneration. The main threats to this habitat are described and possible management implications are discussed in relation to existing initiatives. Protection of the largest remaining forest fragments has been agreed by local communities and a draft plan for forest management is currently under evaluation. Over the next few years plantations will be created to provide local people with wood for fuel and other purposes. An important flying fox Pteropus rufus roost site needs to be included in conservation plans because of its importance for long-distance seed dispersal. Despite the presence of natural barriers, the creation of forest corridors will be crucial for connecting isolated fragments and facilitating genetic exchange between subpopulations. Increased attention needs to be given to the need to promote conservation-related income activities.

Seed dispersal ecology of non-restricted frugivores, capuchin monkeys in three neotropical forests

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 519-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabet V. Wehncke ◽  
César A. Domínguez
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Evolutionary Significance ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Fruit Species ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
Dispersal Distances ◽  
Seed Shadows

Seed dispersal by frugivorous animals has the potential to affect both the demography and the patterns of gene flow of plant populations. In many tropical and subtropical forests a large number of seeds are efficiently dispersed by ‘non-restricted frugivores’ (NRFs, animals for which fruits do not represent the main bulk of their diet), a group commonly underestimated as seed dispersers. Here, we synthesize data from three different neotropical forests (Argentina, Panama and Costa Rica), evaluating several aspects of seed dispersal by two species of Cebus monkeys. Capuchin monkeys are NRFs broadly distributed throughout Central and South America that are potentially long-distance seed dispersers. In this study we evaluated the influence of the foraging behaviour of Cebus apella and C. capucinus on the patterns of seed dispersal. Even though the distribution of fruit types significantly differed among forests, no evidence of diet selection was found, indicating that the fruits consumed by monkeys represent a random sample of the pool available at each site. Neither seed treatment, nor the evenness with which fruit species were consumed, differed among forests. In contrast, the feeding time per fruiting tree (10–45 min), the diversity of fruits consumed (H = 2–3.3), and seed dispersal distances (100–400 m), differed among the three forests. Thus, capuchin monkeys consume a high diversity of fruits in transit producing a scattered dissemination of seeds in all study forests. This study highlights the ecological and evolutionary significance of seed shadows generated by NRFs, without neglecting the possibility that differences in the distribution of fruit patches, species richness and a range of environmental attributes among the studied forests, exert a strong influence on the outcome of the interaction between NRFs and plants.

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 Variation of Low-Frequency Time-Code Signal Field Strength during the Annular Solar Eclipse on 21 June 2020: Observation and Analysis

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1216
Author(s):  
Xin Wang ◽  
Bo Li ◽  
Fan Zhao ◽  
Xinyu Luo ◽  
Luxi Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Field Strength ◽  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Signal Propagation ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Time Code ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Time Service ◽  
Annular Solar Eclipse ◽  
Signal Field

Due to the occlusion of the moon, an annular solar eclipse will have an effect on the ionosphere above the earth. The change of the ionosphere, for the low-frequency time-code signal that relies on it as a reflection medium for long-distance propagation, the signal field strength, and other parameters will also produce corresponding changes, which will affect the normal operation of the low-frequency time-code time service system. This paper selects the solar eclipse that occurred in China on 21 June 2020, and uses the existing measurement equipment to carry out experimental research on the low-frequency time-code signal. We measured and analyzed the signal field strength from 20 June 2020 to 23 June 2020, and combined solar activity data, ionospheric data, and geomagnetic data, and attempted to explore the reasons and rules of the change of signal parameters. The results showed that the field strength of the low-frequency time-code signal changed dramatically within a short time period, the max growth value can reach up to 17 dBμV/m and the variation trend yielded ‘three mutations’. This change in signal field strength is probably due to the occurrence of a solar eclipse that has an effect on the ionosphere. When the signal propagation conditions change, the signal strength will also change accordingly.

Functional importance of avian seed dispersers changes in response to human-induced forest edges in tropical seed-dispersal networks

Oecologia ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 176 (3) ◽  
pp. 837-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco Saavedra ◽  
Isabell Hensen ◽  
Stephan G. Beck ◽  
Katrin Böhning-Gaese ◽  
Denis Lippok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Functional Importance ◽  
Seed Dispersers

Individuality, self and sociality of vascular plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1821) ◽  
pp. 20190760 ◽  
Author(s):  
František Baluška ◽  
Stefano Mancuso
Keyword(s):  
Action Potentials ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Kin Recognition ◽  
Flowering Plants ◽  
Theme Issue ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Self Recognition ◽  
Seed Dispersers ◽  
And Control

Vascular plants are integrated into coherent bodies via plant-specific synaptic adhesion domains, action potentials (APs) and other means of long-distance signalling running throughout the plant bodies. Plant-specific synapses and APs are proposed to allow plants to generate their self identities having unique ways of sensing and acting as agents with their own goals guiding their future activities. Plants move their organs with a purpose and with obvious awareness of their surroundings and require APs to perform and control these movements. Self-identities allow vascular plants to act as individuals enjoying sociality via their self/non-self-recognition and kin recognition. Flowering plants emerge as cognitive and intelligent organisms when the major strategy is to attract and control their animal pollinators as well as seed dispersers by providing them with food enriched with nutritive and manipulative/addictive compounds. Their goal in interactions with animals is manipulation for reproduction, dispersal and defence. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Basal cognition: multicellularity, neurons and the cognitive lens’.

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.

4. Communities

2020 ◽  
pp. 48-72
Author(s):  
Jaboury Ghazoul
Keyword(s):  
Biological System ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Living System ◽  
Ecosystem Structure ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Cooperative Relationships ◽  
Collaborative Interactions ◽  
Energy Transfers ◽  
Great Insight ◽  
System Components

‘Communities’ begins by looking at mutualisms, collaborative interactions between species, and goes on to explore ecosystem structure and change. True mutualism is rare, and cooperative relationships easily become exploitative. Entire communities can depend on a ‘keystone’ species, the loss of which has impacts that cascade across the biological system. Succession is the sequential development of increasingly complex ecological communities. Raymond Lindeman’s great insight was to interpret complex ecosystems as flows of energy and matter between living and non-living system components. Successional processes, ecosystem structures, and energy transfers all arise from the myriad of antagonistic and mutualistic interactions among individual organisms.

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.

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