107 research outputs found
Adatok a Dél-Nyírség és peremterületei flórájához
Dolgozatunkban a Dél-Nyírség és a Berettyó–Kálló köze egy florisztikai értelemben jellemzően alulreprezentált településének, Monostorpályinak a flórájához szolgáltatunk adatokat, más- részt közzéteszünk néhány érdekesebb florisztikai megfigyelést Debrecen környékéről. Összeállítá- sunkban 58 növényfajról szolgáltatunk adatokat. Az enumerációban felsorolt fajok között találunk a térségből korábban egyáltalán nem jelzett taxonokat (Lathyrus nissolia, Gagea villosa, Catabrosa aquati- ca, Potamogeton lucens, P. pusillus). Összesen 16 védett növényfaj újabb előfordulási adatait tesszük közzé, melyek általában jellemzőek a nyírségi természetes élőhelyekre, ugyanakkor véleményünk sze- rint összességében visszaszorulófélben vannak (pl. Hottonia palustris, Dianthus superbus, Cirsium rivu- lare, Lychnis coronaria). Adatot szolgáltatunk néhány országszerte ritka vagy ritkulóban lévő gyomfaj elterjedéséhez (Anthemis cotula, Myagrum perfoliatum, Agrostemma githago), emellett megerősítjük néhány kevéssé ismert növényfaj korábbról ismert előfordulását (Luzula pallidula, Carex hordeistichos); továbbá felhívjuk a figyelmet néhány idegenhonos faj terjedésére is (Broussonetia papyrifera, Phyllostachys sp.)
Plant dispersal syndromes are unreliable, especially for predicting zoochory and long-distance dispersal
Plant dispersal syndromes are allocated based on diaspore morphology and used
to predict the dominant mechanisms of dispersal. Many authors assume that only
angiosperms with endozoochory, epizoochory or anemochory syndromes have a longdistance
dispersal (LDD) mechanism. Too much faith is often placed in classical syndromes
to explain historical dispersal events and to predict future ones. What is usually
recorded as the ‘endozoochory syndrome’ is in reality a ‘frugivory syndrome’ and this
has often diverted attention from endozoochory by non-frugivores (e.g. waterbirds and
large herbivores) that disperse a broad range of angiosperms, for which they likely provide
the maximum dispersal distances. Neither the endozoochory nor the epizoochory
syndromes provide helpful predictions of which plants non-frugivores disperse, or by
which mechanism. We combined data from previous studies to show that only 4% of
European plant species dispersed by ungulate endozoochory belong to the corresponding
syndrome, compared to 36% for ungulate epizoochory and 8% for endozoochory
by migratory ducks. In contrast, the proportions of these species that are assigned
to an ‘unassisted syndrome’ are 37, 31 and 28%, respectively. Since allocated syndromes
do not adequately account for zoochory, empirical studies often fail to find the
expected relationship between syndromes and LDD events such as those underlying
the colonization of islands or latitudinal migration rates. We need full incorporation
of existing zoochory data into dispersal databases, and more empirical research into
the relationship between plant traits and the frequency and effectiveness of different
dispersal mechanisms (paying attention to unexpected vectors). Acknowledging the
broad role of non-frugivores in facilitating LDD is crucial to improve predictions of
the consequences of global change, such as how plant distributions respond to climate
change, and how alien plants spread. Networks of dispersal interactions between these
vertebrates and plants are a vital but understudied part of the Web of Life
Beyond Scatter-Hoarding and Frugivory: European Corvids as Overlooked Vectors for a Broad Range of Plants
It is well-known that some members of the crow family (Corvidae) are important for
seed dispersal either via frugivory (e.g., when feeding on berries) or by scatter hoarding
(e.g., of nuts). Dispersal via gut passage of seeds within a fleshy fruit can be considered
“classical endozoochory.” However, corvids are rarely recognized as vectors of plants
lacking a fleshy fruit, or a large nut (such as plants with a dry achene, capsule or
caryopsis). Dispersal of such seeds via gut passage can be considered “non-classical
endozoochory.” A century ago, Heintze (1917a,b); Heintze (1918) reported on extensive
field studies of seed dispersal by 11 species of European Corvidae. His work is
overlooked in contemporary reviews of corvid biology. We resurrect his work, which
suggests that contemporary views about seed dispersal by corvids are too narrow.
Heintze identified 157 plant taxa from 42 families which were dispersed by corvids
by endozoochory, as well as another nine taxa only dispersed by synzoochory (which
includes scatter-hoarding). Most (54%) of the plant species dispersed by endozoochory
lack a fleshy fruit and have previously been assigned to other dispersal syndromes,mainly
associated with wind (10%), self-dispersal (22%) or epizoochory (18%). Plants lacking
a fleshy fruit were particularly well-represented from the Caryophyllaceae (12 species),
Poaceae (14 species), and Polygonaceae (8 species). Of 27 taxa germinated by Heintze
from seeds extracted from corvid pellets or feces (71% of those tested), 20 lack a fleshy
fruit. Similarly, of 32 taxa he recorded as seedlings having germinated from pellets in the
field, 11 lacked a fleshy fruit. However, Heintze’s quantitative data show that classical
endozoochory is dominant in Magpies Pica pica and Hooded Crows Corvus cornix, for
which 97% of seeds dispersed were fleshy-fruited. Corvids overlap with waterfowl as
vectors of terrestrial plants dispersed by non-classical endozoochory, and 56 species
are dispersed by both corvids and dabbling ducks according to the lists of Heintze and
Soons et al. (2016). Finally, Heintze’s data show that corvids were already dispersing
alien plants in Europe a century ago, such as the North American Dwarf Serviceberry
Amelanchier spicataPeer reviewe
Endozoochory of the same community of plants lacking fleshy fruits by storks and gulls
Aims: Research into the dispersal of plants lacking a fleshy fruit by avian endozoochory
remains limited, particularly regarding the different roles of specific vectors in
the same habitat.
Methods: We compared plants dispersed by endozoochory between two migratory
waterbirds differing in body size: the lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus, and the
white stork Ciconia ciconia. We collected faeces and pellets from roosting flocks on
dykes in rice fields in Doñana, SW Spain, and extracted intact seeds.
Results: We recovered 424 intact seeds from excreta, representing 21 plant taxa,
11 of which germinated under laboratory conditions. Eight plant species are considered
weeds, four of them as alien species, and only two have a fleshy fruit. Seed
abundance and species richness per sample did not differ between storks and gulls.
Toadrush (Juncus bufonius) was the dominant species, accounting for 49% of seeds
recovered. PERMANOVA and mvabund analyses revealed no differences in the proportions
of each plant species dispersed by the two vectors, and seasonal variation in
abundance was absent. Overall, germinability was 19%, and declined with increasing
delay between sample collection and processing. Transects along dykes identified 52
plant taxa, only 18 of which were recorded in excreta.
Conclusions: Overlap in the communities of non-fleshy-fruited plants dispersed by
two unrelated birds of different size suggests that waterbird plant dispersal networks
are different from frugivore networks. Unlike for frugivores, decoupling between
seed production and ingestion reduces seasonal variation in endozoochory rates.
For Juncus bufonius and other plants, these avian vectors provide maximum dispersal
distances several orders of magnitude greater than predicted from their dispersal
syndromes. Endozoochory by migratory waterbirds has major implications for plant
distributions in a rapidly changing world, and more research is required before we can
predict which plants disperse regularly via this mechanism
Whole angiosperms Wolffia columbiana disperse by gut passage through wildfowl in South America
Seed mass, hardness, and phylogeny explain the potential for endozoochory by granivorous waterbirds
Field studies have shown that waterbirds, especially members of the Anatidae family,
are major vectors of dispersal by endozoochory for a broad range of plants lacking a
fleshy fruit, yet whose propagules can survive gut passage. Widely adopted dispersal
syndromes ignore this dispersal mechanism, and we currently have little understanding
of what traits determine the potential of angiosperms for endozoochory by waterbirds.
Results from previous experimental studies have been inconsistent as to how
seed traits affect seed survival and retention time in the gut and have failed to control
for the influence of plant phylogeny. Using 13 angiosperm species from aquatic
and terrestrial habitats representing nine families, we examined the effects of seed
size, shape, and hardness on the proportion of seeds surviving gut passage through
mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and their retention time within the gut. We compiled
a molecular phylogeny for these species and controlled for the nonindependence of
taxa due to common descent in our analyses. Intact seeds from all 13 species were
egested, but seed survival was strongly determined by phylogeny and by partial effects
of seed mass and hardness (wet load): species with seeds harder than expected
from their size, and smaller than expected from their loading, had greater survival.
Once phylogeny was controlled for, a positive partial effect of seed roundness on
seed survival was also revealed. Species with seeds harder than expected from their
size had a longer mean retention time, a result retained after controlling for phylogeny.
Our study is the first to demonstrate that seed shape and phylogeny are important
predictors of seed survival in the avian gut. Our results demonstrate that the
importance of controlling simultaneously for multiple traits and relating single traits
(e.g., seed size) alone to seed survival or retention time is not a reliable way to detect
important patterns, especially when phylogenetic effects are ignoredPeer reviewe
Functional Traits Drive Dispersal Interactions Between European Waterfowl and Seeds
Endozoochory by waterfowl is important for a broad range of angiosperms, most of which lack a fleshy fruit. This dispersal function contributes to the formation and maintenance of plant communities and may allow range shifts for plant species under global change. However, our current understanding of what seed or plant traits are important for this dispersal mechanism, and how they relate to variation in waterbird traits, is extremely limited. We addressed this question using a unique dataset identifying the plant species whose seeds are ingested by 31 different waterfowl species in Europe. We used RLQ and fourth-corner analyses to explore relationships between (1) bird morphological and foraging strategy traits, and (2) plant traits related to seed morphology, environmental preferences, and growth form. We then used Generalized Additive Models to identify relationships between plant/seed traits and the number of waterfowl species that disperse them. Although many waterfowl feed intentionally on seeds, available seed trait data provided little explanation for patterns compared to plant traits such as Ellenberg indicators of habitat preference and life form. Geese were associated with terrestrial plants, ingesting seeds as they graze on land. Diving ducks were associated with strictly aquatic plants, ingesting seeds as they feed at greater depths. Dabbling ducks ingest seeds from plants with high light and temperature requirements, especially shoreline and ruderal species growing in or around the dynamic and shallow microhabitats favored by these birds. Overall, the number of waterfowl vector species (up to 13 per plant species) increases for plants with greater soil moisture requirements and salinity tolerance, reflecting the inclination of most waterfowl species to feed in coastal wetlands. Our findings underline the importance of waterfowl dispersal for plants that are not strictly aquatic, as well as for plants associated with high salinities. Furthermore, our results reveal a soil moisture gradient that drives seed-bird interactions, in line with differences between waterfowl groups in their microhabitat preferences along the land-water continuum. This study provides an important advance in our understanding of the interactions that define plant dispersal in wetlands and their surroundings, and of what plants might be affected by ongoing changes in the distributions of waterfowl species
Dispersal of aquatic invertebrates by lesser black‐backed gulls and white storks within and between inland habitats
Waterbirds can transport aquatic invertebrates internally, contributing to metapopulation dynamics between aquatic habitats in a terrestrial matrix. However, research into this dispersal process to date has focused on individual field sites or laboratory studies. We investigated the invertebrates dispersed by endozoochory by the lesser black-backed gull Larus fuscus winter- ing in Andalusia, south-west Spain in 2016–2017, comparing seven sites interconnected by their movements, with different degrees of anthropogenization [three landfills, two saltpan complexes, a natural lake, and a large (370 km2) ricefield area]. In the ricefields, we also compared invertebrates dispersed by gulls with those dispersed by the larger white stork Ciconia ciconia. A total of 642 intact invertebrates and their propagules (mainly plumatellid bryozoans, cladocerans, and other branchiopods) were recorded in excreta (faeces and pellets) from gulls and storks. A greater diversity and abundance of invertebrates were recorded in ricefields, notably 43 individuals of the alien snail Physella acuta. One snail was still alive in a gull pellet 3 weeks after being stored in a fridge. This represents the first record of snail dispersal within waterbird pellets. Viability was also confirmed for the cladoceran Macrothrix rosea recorded in ricefields, and the alien brine shrimp Artemia franciscana recorded mainly in saltpans. In ricefields, gulls and pellets had significantly fewer propagules and fewer taxa per gram of excreta than storks and faeces, respectively. Through their high mobility, gulls and storks can disperse invertebrates between different natural and artificial habitats, and even to landfills. They can promote metapopulation dynamics for native bryozoans and branchiopods, but also the spread of invasive snails and brine shrimp
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