Size and lipid content of nonmyrmecochorous diaspores: effects on the interaction with litter-foraging ants in the Atlantic rain forest of Brazil

Pizo, Marco Aurélio; Oliveira, Paulo S.

doi:10.1023/a:1013735305100

Cited by 88 publications

(135 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…On the other hand, the elaiosome is an attractive structure for ants from the genus Atta (Pizo & Oliveira, 2001), reinforcing the proposition of the interest of this ant species to the studied seed. This interest could be related to the chemical composition seed (e.g., high lipids composition) (Marshall et al, 1979;Skidmore e Heithaus, 1988;Brew et al, 1989).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 53%

Does Atta laevigata (Smith, 1858) act as Solanum lycocarpum seed dispersers?

Tavares¹,

Alves²,

Morais³

2016

Sociobiology

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Ants can act as seed dispersers, modifying their distribution, affecting the reproductive success and the vegetation spatial structure. The leaf-cutting ants function, as dispersers of non-myrmecochorous plants, is little known. This work aimed to evaluate descriptively the Atta laevigata interaction with Solanum lycocarpum diaspores. The observations were carried out, throughout 10 days, in a secondary fragment of Semidecidual Seasonal Forest in Ivinhema, MS. To determine the removal rate, 500 seeds were taken from ripe fruits, dried, labeled and distributed in groups ranged from five to 50 seeds, totaling 100 seeds per foraging trail. Groups of 30 seeds with pulp were also distributed every 1.0 m on the trails. Individuals of different sizes presented different interactions to the fruits and seeds, smaller workers carried pulp or seeds separately, medium workers carried seeds with pulp or cleaned them before carry to the nest and the largest workers carried the seeds to the nest. Atta laevigata acted primarily as predators, with few seeds discarded. Their actions may interfere in the native vegetation regeneration, with a significant role in removing S. lycocarpum seeds, a pioneer species, and in population control for this species by the severe predation of seeds. However, the remaining1.6% intact seeds allows germination, with the A. laevigata acting as a seed dispersers over short distances for this species, favoring the S. lycocarpum dispersion.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 53%

Does Atta laevigata (Smith, 1858) act as Solanum lycocarpum seed dispersers?

Tavares¹,

Alves²,

Morais³

2016

Sociobiology

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“…La segunda razón por la que las hormigas remueven mayormente semillas de herbáceas puede estar relacionada con el tamaño de la semilla, característica que ha sido descrita como un factor que facilita o limita la dispersión de semillas (Oliveira, Galetti, Pedroni, & Morellato, 1995;Pizo & Oliveira, 2001;Gomez, Espadaler, & Bas, 2005;Dunlop & Rodgerson, 2006). Esto fue corroborado en el experimento de interacción donde se demostró que tanto P. fallax como E. ruidum removieron mayormente semillas de tamaños pequeños, en el área de estudio estas semillas de herbáceas tenían entre 1.3-6.8 mm y un peso promedio de 0.003 gr.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…No obstante las hormigas del género Pheidole recurren al reclutamiento masivo de obreras para remover la semilla al nido en el caso que estas sean grandes para ser removida por una hormiga (Itzkowitz & Haley, 1983;Escobar, Armbrecht, & Calle, 2007). En otros casos donde las semillas son grandes y con un gran eleosoma, arilo o pulpa carnosa rica en lípidos o ácidos grasos, las hormigas optan por retirar esta parte y dejan la semilla intacta en el sitio donde fue encontrada (Pizo & Oliveira, 2001;Passos & Oliveira, 2003;Christianini & Oliveira, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…Las semillas alojadas en los nidos y basureros de las hormigas, tuvieron un mayor éxito de germinación, los nidos son reconocidos como lugares que ofrecen condiciones estables que evitan el deterioro de las diásporas, lo que permite que estas mantengan su viabilidad por un tiempo prolongado (Pizo & Oliveira, 2001;Leal, 2003;Christianini et al, 2007;Leal et al, 2007).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

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Contribución de Pheidole fallax y Ectatomma ruidum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) en la dispersión y germinación de semillas en áreas rehabilitadas de la mina de carbón del Cerrejón, Colombia

Gutierrez-Rapalino

Haydar

2017

RBT

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Contribución deAbstract: Contribution of Pheidole fallax and Ectatomma ruidum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to the dispersion and germination of seeds in rehabilitated areas of the Cerrejón coal mine, Colombia. Seed dispersal is a key process in the re-establishment of vegetation on reclaimed lands. The aim of this study was to determine the contributions of the ant species Ectatomma ruidum and Pheidole fallax to seed dispersal and germination on reclaimed lands in the Cerrejón coal mine, Colombia. Four 6 x 40 m plots were installed in each area, in which the number of nests by species was counted and distances between closest nests of each species were measured. Five of the nests counted were chosen for seed extraction, and a nearby control sample was taken from each nest. In total, 295 nests were counted: 59 nests during the dry season and 236 nests during the rainy season, of which 84 belonged to P. fallax and 211 belonged to E. ruidum. A total of 21 304 seeds were found in nests and control samples, of which 19 349 were obtained from P. fallax nest refuse, and 318 were obtained from E. ruidum nests; 597 seeds were found in control samples. The number of seeds extracted from nests was significantly higher than the number of seeds removed from control samples. There was a significant difference between the number of seeds removed by P. fallax and the number of seeds removed by E. ruidum. The seed germination percentage from nests was higher than the percentage from seeds in control samples. In the case of P. fallax, the germination percentage was lower in control samples and higher in nests and refuse. The results suggest that the ant species E. ruidum and P. fallax may contribute to seed dispersal and re-establishment of vegetation in areas where they were found. These ants may thus significantly contribute to restoration processes in areas degraded by mining. Rev. Biol. Trop. 65 (2): 575-587. Epub 2017 June 01.

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“…This interaction could affect the local abundance and distribution of myrmecochorus and nonmyrmecochorous species [8][9][10]. In spite of the growing information on the interaction between ants and seeds in neotropical forests [11][12][13][14], few studies document the process in neotropical agroecosystems (but see [15][16][17]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Removal of Nonmyrmecochorous Seeds by Ants: Role of Ants in Cattle Grasslands

Escobar-Ramírez

López

Henao

et al. 2012

Psyche: A Journal of Entomology

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Livestock production models prevailing in Colombian Andes are simplified treeless pastures for extensive ranching, with the consequent reduction of environmental services, such as seed dispersal, due to lack of primary dispersers, scarcity of adequate sites for seedling establishment and competition with grasses. This study evaluated if, in these harsh environments, ants can promote the colonization of arboreal species through directed dispersion of seeds towards the nests. Ten seeds of each species were offered to ants in six grazing pastures. Ants removed 25% of the seeds (1827) in 48 hours. Preference for arillated and small-to-medium sized seeds, such as Pithecellobium dulce, and Guazuma ulmifolia, was observed. Cyphomyrmex major, Ectatomma ruidum, Solenopsis geminata and Atta cephalotes were the key ant species in seed removal. It was concluded that functional ant groups present in the pastures could contribute to secondary dispersion of seeds with potential for restoration.

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Size and lipid content of nonmyrmecochorous diaspores: effects on the interaction with litter-foraging ants in the Atlantic rain forest of Brazil

Cited by 88 publications

References 58 publications

Does Atta laevigata (Smith, 1858) act as Solanum lycocarpum seed dispersers?

Does Atta laevigata (Smith, 1858) act as Solanum lycocarpum seed dispersers?

Contribución de Pheidole fallax y Ectatomma ruidum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) en la dispersión y germinación de semillas en áreas rehabilitadas de la mina de carbón del Cerrejón, Colombia

Removal of Nonmyrmecochorous Seeds by Ants: Role of Ants in Cattle Grasslands

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