Seed Rain in a North American Tall Grass Prairie

Rabinowitz, Deborah; Rapp, Jody K.

doi:10.2307/2402656

Cited by 120 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…The seed traps followed the design of Rabinowitz and Rapp (1980). Each trap was the lid of a 9-cm petri dish, containing a 9-cm diameter filter paper onto which we applied a permanently sticky gum (Oecomulsion, Oecos, Hitching, UK).…”

Section: Seed Rainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging, food selection and worker size in the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri

2000

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Interactions among granivores and seeds depend on the foraging behaviour and morphology of the granivores and on the attributes and availability of seeds. We investigated seed selection by the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri in three adjacent plant communities in Spain by relating the harvested seeds to those in the seed rain. Preference was positively correlated with seed size and abundance which accounted for 43% and 20% of the variance respectively. Contrary to predictions of central place foraging theory, the size of seeds harvested did not increase with distance from the nest. Inclusion of a less-preferred item in the diet was more strongly related to the abundance of more-preferred items (60% of the variance) than the abundance of the less-preferred item (14% of the variance). Worker size accounted for 20-30% of the variance in the size of harvested seeds, although small workers did not appear to be constrained by load size for the range of seeds available. The body size of ants was significantly larger in the community with the greatest proportion of large seeds, although this was not due to their ability to carry larger loads or due to the greater force required to crush these seeds. The strong preference of M. bouvieri for large seeds may have important consequences for the plant communities in which they forage.

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Section: Seed Rainmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foraging, food selection and worker size in the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri

2000

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“…To estimate the distance of seed dispersal, a method similar to that used by Rabinowitz & Rapp (1980) was employed. The trap used was a petri dish containing a piece of Whatman no.…”

Section: Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life history and population dynamics of Atriplex triangularis

Khan

Ungar

1986

Vegetatio

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Life history and population dynamics were examined for an annual halophyte, Atriplex triangularis Willd., in an inland salt marsh at Rittman, Ohio. The effect of salinity and precipitation on survival, growth, and reproduction of Atriplex triangularis under field conditions was determined. Early germination enhanced the possibility of survival and reproduction of this species. No distinct ecotypes were found, but various populations demonstrated different degrees of phenotypic plasticity in response to salinity, indicating that genetic selection for plasticity in growth response is taking place along the salinity gradient. Most seeds fell directly below the parent plant, but a small number was found in traps up to 0.5 meter from fruiting individuals. High temperature, salinity, and darkness individually, and in combination, inhibited the germination of small seeds more than large seeds.

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“…The few studies that have examined soil seed banks in tallgrass prairie have shown that the seed bank is a poor predictor of aboveground community composition (Abrams 1988;Rabinowitz and Rapp 1980). By contrast, in perennial grasslands and many other herbaceous communities, the belowground population of meristems associated with rhizomes or other perennating organs (the ''bud bank '' sensu Harper 1977) may play a fundamental role in local plant population persistence, structure, and dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of fire frequency and grazing on tallgrass prairie productivity and plant composition are mediated through bud bank demography

Dalgleish

Hartnett

2008

Plant Ecol

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Periodic fire, grazing, and a variable climate are considered the most important drivers of tallgrass prairie ecosystems, having large impacts on the component species and on ecosystem structure and function. We used long-term experiments at Konza Prairie Biological Station to explore the underlying demographic mechanisms responsible for tallgrass prairie responses to two key ecological drivers: fire and grazing. Our data indicate that belowground bud banks (populations of meristems associated with rhizomes or other perennating organs) mediate tallgrass prairie plant response. Fire and grazing altered rates of belowground bud natality, tiller emergence from the bud bank, and both short-term (fire cycle) and long-term ([15 year) changes in bud bank density. Annual burning increased grass bud banks by 25% and decreased forb bud banks by 125% compared to burning every 4 years. Grazing increased the rate of emergence from the grass bud bank resulting in increased grass stem densities while decreasing grass bud banks compared to ungrazed prairie. By contrast, grazing increased both bud and stem density of forbs in annually burned prairie but grazing had no effect on forb bud or stem density in the 4-year burn frequency treatment. Lastly, the size of the reserve grass bud bank is an excellent predictor of long-term ANPP in tallgrass prairie and also of short-term interannual variation in ANPP associated with fire cycles, supporting our hypothesis that ANPP is strongly regulated by belowground demographic processes.

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Seed Rain in a North American Tall Grass Prairie

Cited by 120 publications

References 14 publications

Foraging, food selection and worker size in the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri

Foraging, food selection and worker size in the seed harvesting ant Messor bouvieri

Life history and population dynamics of Atriplex triangularis

The effects of fire frequency and grazing on tallgrass prairie productivity and plant composition are mediated through bud bank demography

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