Beyond Scatter-Hoarding and Frugivory: European Corvids as Overlooked Vectors for a Broad Range of Plants

Green, Andy J.; Elmberg, Johan; Lovas‐Kiss, Ádám

doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00133

Cited by 27 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Seed survival and mean retention time varied greatly between individual ducks, as reported in previous experimental studies , and also for other seed vectors such as fish (Pollux, 2017). based on traits (see also Green et al, 2019). Our study only included a limited part of the size spectrum for angiosperm seeds, and field studies suggest that Anatidae are less likely to disperse plant species with larger seeds (Hattermann, Bernhardt-Römermann, Otte, & Eckstein, 2019;Soons et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…Indeed, this failure is inevitable since, by definition, no plants lacking a fleshy fruit can be assigned to the “endozoochory syndrome” (Pérez‐Harguindeguy et al, ). Hence, studies such as ours are a vital step toward predicting endozoochory potential based on traits (see also Green et al, ). Our study only included a limited part of the size spectrum for angiosperm seeds, and field studies suggest that Anatidae are less likely to disperse plant species with larger seeds (Hattermann, Bernhardt‐Römermann, Otte, & Eckstein, ; Soons et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Waterbird endozoochory has now been demonstrated for a variety of terrestrial and aquatic plants that lack a fleshy fruit, although this does not coincide with the dispersal syndromes often assigned based on seed morphology (Bartel, Sheppard, Lovas‐Kiss, & Green, ; Lovas‐Kiss, Sanchez, et al, ; Lovas‐Kiss et al, ; Lovas‐Kiss, Vizi, et al, ). This is a form of “nonclassical endozoochory,” as it does not coincide with the “endozoochory syndrome” (Green, Elmberg, & Lovas‐Kiss, ). Diet studies for dabbling ducks suggest they disperse over 500 plant species in Europe alone (Lovas‐Kiss, Vizi, et al, ; Soons, Brochet, Kleyheeg, & Green, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seed mass, hardness, and phylogeny explain the potential for endozoochory by granivorous waterbirds

Lovas‐Kiss

Vincze

Kleyheeg

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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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 ignored.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seed mass, hardness, and phylogeny explain the potential for endozoochory by granivorous waterbirds

Lovas‐Kiss

Vincze

Kleyheeg

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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“…To assume that current dispersal syndromes reflect actual mechanisms of dispersal is to ignore the reality that endozoochory of plants without a fleshy fruit (“non-classical endozoochory”; [26]) is widespread in nature. The best studied examples come from granivorous and herbivorous waterbirds [27–30], and herbivorous mammals [e.g., 31–33].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of gut passage by waterbirds on the seed coat and pericarp of diaspores lacking “external flesh”: Evidence for widespread adaptation to endozoochory in angiosperms

et al. 2019

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The widely accepted “endozoochory syndrome” is assigned to angiosperm diaspores with a fleshy, attractive tissue and implies the existence of adaptations for protection against digestion during gut passage. This syndrome has led diaspore fleshiness to be emphasized as the exclusive indicator of endozoochory in much of the ecology and biogeography research. Crucially, however, endozoochory in nature is not limited to frugivory, and diaspores without “external flesh” are commonly dispersed, often over long distances, via birds and mammals by granivory. A key question is: are such diaspores somehow less prepared from an architectural point of view to survive gut passage than fleshy diaspores? To answer this question, we selected 11 European angiosperm taxa that fall outside the classical endozoochory syndrome yet are known to be dispersed via endozoochory. We studied their seed coat/pericarp morphology and anatomy both before and after gut passage through granivorous waterfowl, and determined their seed survival and germinability. We found no fundamental differences in the mechanical architecture of the seed coat and pericarp between these plants dispersed by granivory and others dispersed by frugivory. Neither diaspore traits per se, nor dormancy type, were strong predictors of diaspore survival or degree of damage during gut passage through granivores, or of the influence of gut passage on germinability. Among our 11 taxa, survival of gut passage is enabled by the thick cuticle of the exotesta or epicarp; one or several lignified cell layers; and diverse combinations of other architectural elements. These protection structures are ubiquitous in angiosperms, and likely to have evolved in gymnosperms. Hence, many angiosperm diaspores, dry or fleshy, may be pre-adapted to endozoochory, but with differing degrees of specialization and adaptation to dispersal mechanisms such as frugivory and granivory. Our findings underline the broad ecological importance of “non-classical endozoochory” of diaspores that lack “external flesh”.

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“…Another aspect of grey heron activity that can influence the vegetation structure is worth mentioning as well. Waterbirds, including the grey heron, are important longdistance dispersal vectors for many plant species [46]. They provide connectivity of metacommunities in a patchy landscape and enhance the possibility of colonizing new areas, also for alien and invasive species [47][48][49].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress or help, how does the grey heron Ardea cinerea L. modify the vegetation structure of the forest floor?

et al. 2019

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The grey heron (<em>Ardea cinerea</em>) is a good example of an engineering species that forms nesting colonies (called heronries) composed of up to a few hundred nests during the breeding season. It exerts strong pressure on surrounding vegetation, mainly because of the heavy input of organic matter and high eutrophication. The birds also alter light conditions through direct tree damage. We aimed to examine the influence of a grey heron breeding colony on the soil properties and functional composition of the herb layer in two different forest communities: a suboceanic pine forest and a riparian mixed forest. We also wanted to establish whether these changes would make the forest ecosystem more vulnerable to colonization by nonforest species with higher light and trophic demands. Small-seeded, light demanding eutrophic species showed a tendency to be more abundant under the nests in both forest types. The calculated odds ratio (OR) showed that the probability of the presence of nonforest species under the nests was 29.5 times higher than that in the control plots (56 plants species were analyzed). Additionally, the nonforest species appeared to have high light and trophic demand (OR of 12.3 for light demand; OR of 7.0 for trophic demand), which explains the species turnover observed in the bird-affected microhabitats.

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Beyond Scatter-Hoarding and Frugivory: European Corvids as Overlooked Vectors for a Broad Range of Plants

Cited by 27 publications

References 29 publications

Seed mass, hardness, and phylogeny explain the potential for endozoochory by granivorous waterbirds

Seed mass, hardness, and phylogeny explain the potential for endozoochory by granivorous waterbirds

The effect of gut passage by waterbirds on the seed coat and pericarp of diaspores lacking “external flesh”: Evidence for widespread adaptation to endozoochory in angiosperms

Stress or help, how does the grey heron Ardea cinerea L. modify the vegetation structure of the forest floor?

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