Seed Dispersal by Elephants in Semiarid Woodland Habitats of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe<sup>1</sup>

Dudley, Joseph P.

doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2000.tb00503.x

Cited by 42 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Communities of stealing rodents can provide long-distance dispersal comparable to other vertebrates that are considered good seed dispersers (45,46). Although this seed movement is not as far as provided by large-bodied frugivores, such as megafauna that can transport seeds over multiple kilometers (47,48), the survival potential of scatter-hoarded seeds is likely superior to that of hundreds of seeds deposited together in megafauna dung piles (48)(49)(50). Our results make it conceivable that secondary seed dispersal by rodents can be sufficiently effective to substitute for primary dispersal of megafaunal seeds by large mammals.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thieving rodents as substitute dispersers of megafaunal seeds

Jansen

Hirsch

Emsens

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

259

305

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The Neotropics have many plant species that seem to be adapted for seed dispersal by megafauna that went extinct in the late Pleistocene. Given the crucial importance of seed dispersal for plant persistence, it remains a mystery how these plants have survived more than 10,000 y without their mutualist dispersers. Here we present support for the hypothesis that secondary seed dispersal by scatterhoarding rodents has facilitated the persistence of these largeseeded species. We used miniature radio transmitters to track the dispersal of reputedly megafaunal seeds by Central American agoutis, which scatter-hoard seeds in shallow caches in the soil throughout the forest. We found that seeds were initially cached at mostly short distances and then quickly dug up again. However, rather than eating the recovered seeds, agoutis continued to move and recache the seeds, up to 36 times. Agoutis dispersed an estimated 35% of seeds for >100 m. An estimated 14% of the cached seeds survived to the next year, when a new fruit crop became available to the rodents. Serial video-monitoring of cached seeds revealed that the stepwise dispersal was caused by agoutis repeatedly stealing and recaching each other's buried seeds. Although previous studies suggest that rodents are poor dispersers, we demonstrate that communities of rodents can in fact provide highly effective long-distance seed dispersal. Our findings suggest that thieving scatter-hoarding rodents could substitute for extinct megafaunal seed dispersers of tropical large-seeded trees.Pleistocene extinctions | seed predation | cache pilferage | telemetry

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thieving rodents as substitute dispersers of megafaunal seeds

Jansen

Hirsch

Emsens

et al. 2012

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

259

305

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“…The palms benefited from the grazing of animals capable of ingesting, scarifying and dispersing seeds Downloaded by [UQ Library] at 04:30 03 November 2014 (Dudley 2000) likely including the palm nuts. Plant attributes believed to have evolved as defence mechanisms against herbivores (now largely extinct) remain in the forms of dense stems armed with hooked spines.…”

Section: Ecological Responses Of Palms To Harvestingmentioning

confidence: 99%

ILALA PALM (HYPHAENE PETERSIANA) USE IN SOUTHERN ZIMBABWE: SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING SUSTAINABILITY

Foote

Krogman

Grundy

et al. 2003

Forests, Trees and Livelihoods

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“…This hypothesis is entirely consistent with TiVney's (2004) interpretation that megafaunal dispersal is a diVuse process. Elephants (Loxodonta africana Blumenbach) readily eat and disperse some fruits that are not eaten by other animals (Gautier-Hion et al 1985;Dudley 2000), and black rhinoceros in southern Africa often consume the fruits and stems of highly toxic Euphorbia species that are avoided by other animals (Heilmann et al 2006;see Kinghorn 1979). A variety of large non-elephantine mammals may have had similar capacities, followed by mastodont-and mammoth-sized herbivores.…”

Section: What Is Missing?mentioning

confidence: 99%

The anomalous Kentucky coffeetree: megafaunal fruit sinking to extinction?

Zaya

Howe

2009

Oecologia

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The Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioicus, Fabaceae) is an ecological paradox. A rare tree in nature in eastern and central North America, G. dioicus produces legumes that are only known to be dispersed by water, but appear similar to fruits consumed and dispersed by elephants and rhinoceros. One would expect the pods to be consumed by livestock, but the pulp and seeds are toxic to cattle and sheep. We examine the puzzle of G. dioicus dispersal in light of its other reproductive and life history characteristics and find that it probably is a botanical anachronism, in terms of both a set of dispersal agents long extinct and habitats, including what we term megafaunal disclimaxes, which have disappeared. Large seeds, the megafaunal gestault of the fruit, a dioecious mating system, and shade-intolerance combined with vigorous cloning suggest a widely dispersed pioneer of Miocene through Pleistocene habitats profoundly altered by large-mammal herbivory. As to what ate it, we can only say there were once many candidates. We hypothesize that the plant is an ecological anachronism, sinking to extinction in the wild.

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Seed Dispersal by Elephants in Semiarid Woodland Habitats of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe¹

Cited by 42 publications

References 13 publications

Thieving rodents as substitute dispersers of megafaunal seeds

Thieving rodents as substitute dispersers of megafaunal seeds

ILALA PALM (HYPHAENE PETERSIANA) USE IN SOUTHERN ZIMBABWE: SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING SUSTAINABILITY

The anomalous Kentucky coffeetree: megafaunal fruit sinking to extinction?

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Seed Dispersal by Elephants in Semiarid Woodland Habitats of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe1

Cited by 42 publications

References 13 publications

Thieving rodents as substitute dispersers of megafaunal seeds

Thieving rodents as substitute dispersers of megafaunal seeds

ILALA PALM (HYPHAENE PETERSIANA) USE IN SOUTHERN ZIMBABWE: SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL FACTORS INFLUENCING SUSTAINABILITY

The anomalous Kentucky coffeetree: megafaunal fruit sinking to extinction?

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Seed Dispersal by Elephants in Semiarid Woodland Habitats of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe¹