Experimental assessment of endozoochorous dispersal of <i>Prosopis flexuosa</i> seeds by domestic ungulates

Egea, A.V.; Campagna, M. Sofía; Cona, Mónica I.; Sartor, Carmen Elena; Campos, Claudia M.

doi:10.1111/avsc.12651

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…This lessens the possibility that the plants observed by Cunningham were transported there by cattle, although movements to and from the Liverpool Plains by settlers on horseback are perhaps more likely to have successfully introduced viable seed given ungulates more effective seed dispersal abilities (e.g. Egea et al 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acacia pendula (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales: Cunningham’s collection from April 1825 and its implications

Bell

Driscoll

2023

Telopea

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Previous debate on the status of Acacia pendula A.Cunn. (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in the natural flora ofthe Hunter region of New South Wales remains unresolved. However, the discovery of a journal entry and aspecimen of Acacia pendula collected from ‘Hunter’s River’ by Allan Cunningham in April 1825 potentiallyprovide evidence for its long-term presence there. Close examination of a scan of this specimen reveals a poormatch to the lectotype for this species, and its infertile nature means that it cannot be positively identifiedusing taxonomic keys. Rediscovery of a small group of Acacia ‘pendula’ plants near to where Cunninghamtravelled in 1825 confirms the sterile and root-suckering habit of the species which is consistent with thosegrowing elsewhere in the region. Despite this find, Cunningham’s journal entry and collection provide noconfirmation that Acacia pendula naturally occurred extensively in the region (although it may have beenvery rare) but could suggest either that he had located one of the first introduced stands of the species in theregion (through indigenous people or European settlers), or that these sterile root-suckering plants representa currently un-named taxon or un-recognised hybrid. Final resolution of Hunter Valley populations of Acaciapendula s. lat. may only be attained through genetic studies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acacia pendula (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales: Cunningham’s collection from April 1825 and its implications

Bell

Driscoll

2023

Telopea

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“…Livestock dung seed bank plays an important role in the regeneration and sustainability of grasslands in grazing ecosystems. A previous study that compared dung samples from cattle, sheep and horse showed that the horse dung seed bank contributes most to grassland recovery and restoration (Egea et al, 2022). The size of the dung seed bank can be affected by the livestock species, the amount of seed intake by the livestock and the physical and chemical properties of the faeces (Milotić & Hoffmann, 2016), in addition to seed traits (Pakeman et al, 2002).…”

Section: Size and Composition Of Livestock Dung Seed Banksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tibetan sheep and yak are ruminants, and plant seeds are affected not only by chewing and rumen digestion but also by the rumination process, which is quite destructive (Wang et al, 2017). In contrast, horses are monogastric animals, which chew food particularly roughly (Zang, 2015), and there is no rumination-related damage to the seeds (Egea et al, 2022). However, Mouissie et al (2005) reported that, in the heathlands of the northern Netherlands, the mean seedling density of cattle dung is greater than that of horse dung.…”

Section: Size and Composition Of Livestock Dung Seed Banksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher dung seedling density increases livestock dung greenhouse gas emissions in an alpine meadow

Wang,

Hou

2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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The dung seed bank (i.e. vegetation renewal) and greenhouse gas (GHG, e.g. carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), which contributing to global warming) emissions (i.e. materials circulation) are two of the most important ecological functions of livestock dung in grassland ecosystems. With decomposition of faeces, dung seedling density (e.g. increase) and GHG emission (e.g. decrease) changes proceeded simultaneously. Although these two processes have so far been studied in isolation, almost no studies have explored the effects of dung seedlings on GHG emissions. We collected the dung of three livestock species—yak, sheep and horse—during late April (i.e. early warm season) in an alpine meadow in the northeastern Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP). The livestock dung seedling composition and GHG fluxes were determined on Days 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31, 37, 53 and 60 of germination, and we used frozen and ground faeces as the control group. The average seedling density of horse dung was significantly greater than that of yak and sheep. The GHG fluxes in the collected native dung samples were significantly greater than those of the dung controls, and the fluctuations in CO2, CH4 and N2O all showed a pattern of yak dung > horse dung > sheep dung. Over the course of the experiment, the GHG fluxes of both the experimental and control groups gradually decreased; however, the GHG emissions of the experimental group declined faster than those of the control group. There was a significant negative correlation between dung seedling density and GHG fluxes. Dung seedlings provide a reference for estimation of GHG emissions from livestock faeces. Synthesis and applications. Our research has revealed the features of and interactions between two important ecological functions of livestock dung in the grazing system. Furthermore, dung seedlings could substantially affect GHG fluxes and emission rates of livestock dung patches. The contributions of dung seeds to GHG emissions should be considered when estimating global warming potential from grazing livestock on the QTP for the purposes of determining national and regional land use policies and compiling global GHG inventories.

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“…The long-distance dispersal of seeds through the digestive tract requires enough viable seeds and a sufficiently long retention time in the digestive tract [55]. Different livestock have various chewing intensities of food during the feeding process [21], so the recovery percent of the same seeds after digestive effects by different livestock are varied [25]. The retention time of seeds in the digestive tract of different livestock are varied, due to the existence of variations in the length of the digestive tract of different livestock [56,57].…”

Section: Seed Recovery Percent and Mean Retention Timementioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, it is also recognized that livestock vary in the effect of the seed recovery, characteristics, and germination they provide to seeds [23,24]. Different livestock have various chewing intensities of food during the feeding process [21], so the recovery percent of the same seeds after digestive effects by different livestock are varied [25]. Previous research found that the morphological characteristics of the seeds of 28 grasses changed significantly after rumen effects, and the seed length, width, height, and 100-grant weight decreased within the digestion time [26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recovery and Germination of Malus sieversii (Ledeb.) M. Roem. (Rosaceae) Seeds after Ingestion by Cattle, Horses, and Sheep

Zhang

Bai

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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Livestock can transport seeds long distances by endozoochory due to their large home range and capacity to move among different habitats. However, differences in digestive system and body size between different livestock species may result in variations in the dispersal of domestic livestock. To test such effects, we explore the effects of endozoochorous seed dispersal of Malus sieversii by three livestock: cattle, horse, and sheep in the Ili Botany Garden, northwest of China. We collected seeds of M. sieversii and fed them to cattle, horses and sheep. After feeding, we collected all the seeds from their feces every 24 h for 6 days and determined the seed recovery percent, mean retention time, and germination percent of seeds after the effects of the digestive tracts of those three livestock species. Seed recovery percent in three livestock species feces were cattle (CS) (54.05%) > horse (HS) (4.83%) > sheep (SS) (0.45%). The mean retention time of seeds in the digestive tract of cattle, horses and sheep were 53 h, 57 h, and 45 h. The seed weight and seed coat thickness decreased significantly after the treatment of the digestive tract. After 80 days cold stratification of seeds, the germination percent of CK, CS, and HS were 61%, 69%, and 18%, respectively. The results indicated cattle is an effective seed disperser of M. sieversii, with a recovery and germination percent in endozoochorous seed dispersal by cattle than that of horse and sheep. Our findings may also provide a theoretical basis about regarding seed-centric grazing management decisions and keeping horse and sheep out of pastures during the fruit of M. sieversii shedding period.

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Experimental assessment of endozoochorous dispersal of Prosopis flexuosa seeds by domestic ungulates

Cited by 7 publications

References 82 publications

Acacia pendula (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales: Cunningham’s collection from April 1825 and its implications

Acacia pendula (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae) in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales: Cunningham’s collection from April 1825 and its implications

Higher dung seedling density increases livestock dung greenhouse gas emissions in an alpine meadow

Recovery and Germination of Malus sieversii (Ledeb.) M. Roem. (Rosaceae) Seeds after Ingestion by Cattle, Horses, and Sheep

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