Complementary endozoochorous long-distance seed dispersal by three native herbivorous ungulates in Europe

Pellerin, Maryline; Picard, Mélanie; Saı̈d, Sonia; Baubet, Éric; Baltzinger, Christophe

doi:10.1016/j.baae.2016.01.005

Cited by 29 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…While the role of vectors operating at large spatial scales is usually attributed to birds (Figuerola & Green, ; Green & Figuerola, ), our results suggest that short‐distance dispersal events by raccoons could, over the decades, push the range of the stowaway organisms they carry by hundreds of kilometres, thus altering the distribution of organisms not only at the local but also at the continental scale. The impact of the expansion of alien mammals as dispersal vectors may therefore exceed the geographic scale that is usually attributed to this group of animals (Baltzinger et al, ; Pellerin, Picard, Saïd, Baubet, & Baltzinger, ). Moreover, projections from environmental niche modelling show the availability of unoccupied extensive areas suitable for raccoons, including Russia and the Middle East, while predictions for the next several decades indicate that due to climate change, new areas will become suitable for racoons further to the north (Louppe, Leroy, Herrel, & Veron, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raccoons foster the spread of freshwater and terrestrial microorganisms—Mammals as a source of microbial eDNA

Solarz

Najberek

Wilk‐Woźniak

et al. 2020

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim The aim of the study was to test the role of racoon (Procyon lotor), an invasive alien species, in the spread of microorganisms. We tested whether the spread of microorganisms can be detected by sampling microbial DNA sourced from the raccoon body, thus facilitating biodiversity research. Location Warta Mouth National Park, western Poland. Methods We used the V4 hyper‐variable region of the 18S ribosomal RNA gene and Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing to identify microorganisms present on the body surface of raccoons. Results Out of 170 DNA samples, we obtained 15 PCR products that contained the target sequences of freshwater or terrestrial microorganisms. We found that raccoons carry and spread chlorophytes, alveolates, amoeboids and fungi on their body surface. We identified 16 different microbial organisms. The sequences of four organisms, Micronuclearia podoventralis (amoeboid), Parachloroidium lobatum and Jaagichlorella roystonensis (chlorophyta), and Mortierella polygonia (fungi), exhibited 100% identity to the best GenBank hit and were thus identified to the species level. The two chlorophyte species, Parachloroidium lobatum and Jaagichlorella roystonensis, are particularly noteworthy, as they were first described recently, in 2013 and 2019, respectively, and knowledge about their global distribution is very scarce. Main conclusions We demonstrated that raccoons may effectively spread terrestrial and aquatic microorganisms. By utilizing this novel source of microbial DNA, we also showed that mammals may be effective living samplers. This perspective is worth exploring, as in some cases it may efficiently reduce the burden required in traditional sampling and provide valuable insights into local biodiversity and distributions of species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raccoons foster the spread of freshwater and terrestrial microorganisms—Mammals as a source of microbial eDNA

Solarz

Najberek

Wilk‐Woźniak

et al. 2020

Diversity and Distributions

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“…The longest distances were covered during the first hours between 9:00 and 11:00, coinciding with the morning peak in activity observed for ungulates (Mooring et al., ). We were not able to tackle the specific dynamics of epizoochorous detachment as the 2‐hr interval between GPS locations neither matched the rapid loss of most of the diaspores nor allowed us to take path tortuosity into account (Pellerin et al., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used GPS locations scheduled every 2 hr over 1 year and retrieved from the six individuals equipped in 2015 (WildCell SG Collar SOB/GSM). We measured the Euclidian distances (Jégoux, ; Pellerin, Picard, Saïd, Baubet, & Baltzinger, ) walked during 2 hr between 9:00 and 11:00 in February and March 2015 and also during a six‐hour period from 9:00 to 15:00 corresponding to the diaspore retention time in the experimental design. We then combined the proportion of remaining attached diaspores with the distance traveled during the same amount of time.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Epizoochorous dispersal by ungulates depends on fur, grooming and social interactions

Liehrmann¹,

Jégoux

Guilbert

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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The transport phase of the animal‐mediated plant dispersal process is critical to dispersal effectiveness as it determines the spatial distribution of the diaspores released and their chance for further recruitment. Assessing this specific phase of the dispersal process generally requires combining diaspore retention times with the associated distances covered. Here, we specifically tested the effect of grooming behavior, interindividual contacts and ungulate fur on diaspore retention times and associated dispersal distances for the hooked diaspores of Xanthium strumarium L. experimentally attached to tamed individuals of three ungulate species. We used a comparative approach based on differing fur quality on different body zones of these three ungulates. During 6‐hr sessions, we monitored for grooming and social interactions that may induce intended or inadvertent diaspore detachment. Additionally, we proposed innovative approaches to directly assessing diaspore dispersal distances by red deer in situ. Fat‐tailed functions fitted diaspore retention time, highlighting the potential for long‐distance dispersal events. The longer the hair, the higher the retention capacity of diaspores in the animal's fur. As predicted, donkey retained diaspores longer than red deer and dwarf goat; and we also confirmed that diaspores attached to the short hair of the head fell off more quickly than did those on the other body zones. Dwarf goat groomed more often than both red deer and donkey, but also when it carried diaspores. Up to 14% of the diaspores detached from animal fur after specific grooming behavior. We observed, in controlled conditions, for the first time and for each ungulate species, interindividual transfers of diaspores, representing 5% of the diaspores attached to animals’ fur. Our results militate for incorporating animal behavior into plant dispersal modeling approaches.

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“…Also, secondary wind dispersal across frozen land surfaces seems unlikely given the elevational gradients and northerly winter wind direction [83]. Animal activities, especially migratory birds, as well as transportation of contaminated herbage seeds may have played a role in the dispersal of seeds across the Tarim Basin [84–86] despite the fact that direct observations are lacking. These latter two options could well explain why we did not find a strong phylogeographic signal with a clear separation of populations from the QTP and the TSR.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Distance Dispersal after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) Led to the Disjunctive Distribution of Pedicularis kansuensis (Orobanchaceae) between the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Tianshan Region

Sui

Kuss

et al. 2016

PLoS ONE

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Quaternary climate fluctuations have profoundly affected the current distribution patterns and genetic structures of many plant and animal species in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) and adjacent mountain ranges, e.g. Tianshan (TSR), Altay, etc. In this greater area disjunct distributions are prominent but have nevertheless received little attention with respect to the historical processes involved. Here, we focus on Pedicularis kansuensis to test whether the current QTP and TSR disjunction is the result of a recent Holocene range expansion involving dispersal across arid land bridge(s) or a Pleistocene range fragmentation involving persistence in refugia. Two chloroplast DNA spacers were sequenced for 319 individuals from 34 populations covering the entire distribution range of this species in China. We found a total of 17 haplotypes of which all occurred in the QTP, and only five in the TSR. Overall genetic diversity was high (HT = 0.882, HS = 0.559) and higher in the QTP than in the TSR. Genetic differentiation among regions and populations was relatively low (GST = 0.366) and little evidence for a phylogeographic pattern emerged. The divergence times for the four main lineages could be dated to the early Pleistocene. Surprisingly, the two ubiquitous haplotypes diverged just before or around the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and were found in different phylogenetic lineages. The Species Distribution Model suggested a disappearance of P. kansuensis from the TSR during the LGM in contrast to a relatively constant potential distribution in the QTP. We conclude that P. kansuensis colonized the TSR after the LGM. The improbable long-distance dispersal by wind or water across arid land seed flow may well have had birds or men as vector.

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Complementary endozoochorous long-distance seed dispersal by three native herbivorous ungulates in Europe

Cited by 29 publications

References 51 publications

Raccoons foster the spread of freshwater and terrestrial microorganisms—Mammals as a source of microbial eDNA

Raccoons foster the spread of freshwater and terrestrial microorganisms—Mammals as a source of microbial eDNA

Epizoochorous dispersal by ungulates depends on fur, grooming and social interactions

Long-Distance Dispersal after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) Led to the Disjunctive Distribution of Pedicularis kansuensis (Orobanchaceae) between the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and Tianshan Region

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