The potential of seed‐eating birds to spread viable seeds of weeds and other undesirable plants

Twigg, Laurie E.; Lowe, Tim J.; Taylor, Catherine M.; Calver, Michael C.; Martin, Gary R.; Stevenson, Claire E.; How, R. A.

doi:10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.01992.x

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 37 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…; Twigg et al . ). However, the large body size, mobility and local population numbers of deer, in particular, necessarily means that they consume much plant material over a big area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Germination of native and introduced plants from scats of Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) in a south‐eastern Australian woodland landscape

Claridge¹,

Hunt²,

Thrall³

et al. 2016

Eco Management Restoration

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Summary Introduced deer occur in many forests and woodlands in Australia and potentially play an important role in influencing the floristics and structure of these landscapes through eating plants and disseminating seeds. In a glasshouse trial, we tested whether field‐collected scats of Fallow Deer (Dama dama) contained viable plant seeds. Scats of deer obtained from a woodland study area in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, produced seedlings from a range of native and introduced plant species. Forbs and herbs were dominant in these samples, confirming the grazing behaviour of deer at the time scats were collected. Samples of scats from Eastern Grey Kangaroos (Macropus giganteus), collected contemporaneously from the same sites as deer scats, also produced plant germinants. By volume, deer scats produced a greater diversity of plant germinants, including native and weed species, than did kangaroo scats. Although no weed species emanating from deer or kangaroo scats were of national significance, several species were of regional environmental significance, including Common Mullein (Verbascum thapsis), which was only found germinating out of deer scat, Stinkgrass (Eragrostis cilianensis) and Purpletop (Verbena bonariensis). In addition to dispersing viable seeds, Fallow Deer may also influence vegetation structure through their browsing. Further research is necessary to elucidate their respective role in dispersing native and introduced plants as well as any impacts that foraging behaviour might be having on woodland landscapes, to better inform management of the resident deer population.

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“…; Twigg et al . ). However, the large body size, mobility and local population numbers of deer, in particular, necessarily means that they consume much plant material over a big area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Germination of native and introduced plants from scats of Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) in a south‐eastern Australian woodland landscape

Claridge¹,

Hunt²,

Thrall³

et al. 2016

Eco Management Restoration

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“…The potential role of seed‐eating waterbirds to establish and/or maintain feral populations of cultivated crops (e.g. Canola Brassica napus ) is thus of real concern (Twigg et al ., ). The possibility exists for birds to spread genetically modified (GM) crops beyond containment boundaries, thereby enhancing the potential for transgenic flow to wild flora or to non‐GM crops (Twigg et al ., ).…”

Section: How Do Waterbirds Disperse Alien Species?mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…However, empirical evidence for waterbird-mediated dispersal is rare (Table 1) and its existence has largely been inferred on the basis of morphological dispersal syndromes (MacIsaac, 2011) or the interactions of waterbirds with invasive species at a given site. To date the role of waterbirds in the dispersal of alien species has only been superficially assessed (Green et al, 2008;Brochet et al, 2009;Twigg et al, 2009).…”

Section: Waterbirds As Mobile Linksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of waterbirds in the dispersal of aquatic alien and invasive species

Reynolds

Miranda

Cumming

2015

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim To review existing literature on the ability of waterbirds to spread aquatic alien and invasive species, and to assess the relevance of bird-mediated dispersal for the conservation of freshwater ecosystems.Location Global. Methods Literature Review.Results A systematic review of the literature revealed that quantitative studies investigating dispersal of alien organisms by waterbirds are rare (n = 14). Most studies citing waterbird dispersal rely on anecdotes or inferences from morphological dispersal syndromes. However, evidence from each stage of dispersal (i.e. emigration, transport and immigration) shows that waterbirds can carry alien plants and invertebrates internally and externally; transport them between water bodies at a variety of spatial scales; and deposit viable propagules in sites suited to aquatic invasive species.Main conclusions Our review suggests that waterbirds can and do act as important dispersal vectors for freshwater invasive species. Further experimental and field based research on the numbers and viability of moved alien propagules, and the roles of different species in the bird community, is needed. Furthermore, consideration of the spatially explicit manner in which birds move is imperative to understanding invasive spread. Populations of alien aquatic species in seemingly isolated wetlands can no longer be considered contained if they are able to be spread through waterbird-mediated dispersal, and containment measures must recognize such opportunities for further spread. Changing waterbird movement patterns, driven by climate and land use change, further add to the challenge of managing invasive species and offers an interesting opportunity for future research. The study of waterbird-mediated dispersal of aquatic alien invasive species provides insights not only into species invasions, but more generally into movement ecology, population ecology and biogeography.

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“…At the New Zealand study sites, introduced finches are the dominant avian seed predators (Heather & Robertson, 2000), while in Australia a greater diversity of finches, doves, pigeons and parrots will consume seeds (Whitney, 2005;Twigg et al, 2009). Introduced Acacia species were able to escape their natural enemies to some extent, but this varied among tree species and seed predator and the variation did not correlate with invasion success.…”

Section: Pre-dispersal Seed Predationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pollinators and predators at home and away: do they determine invasion success for Australian Acacia in New Zealand?

Wandrag

Sheppard

Duncan

et al. 2014

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim Interactions with pollinators and pre‐dispersal seed predators are important determinants of reproductive output and could influence the success of plant species introduced to areas outside their native range. We identified the role of these interactions in determining reproductive output and invasion outcomes for species of Australian Acacia introduced to New Zealand. Location Australia and New Zealand. Methods We studied three species of Australian Acacia with different invasion success in New Zealand. In both Australia and New Zealand, we measured pollination success as the number of pods per inflorescence and the proportion of aborted seeds per pod, determined losses to pre‐dispersal seed predators, and measured overall seed output. For each species, we compared performance in New Zealand with that in Australia, then examined whether there was any variation among species in their relative performance in each country. Results The number of pods per inflorescence and proportion of seeds aborted were similar in each country and among species. There was little difference in pre‐dispersal seed predation rate between Australia and New Zealand for Acacia dealbata, an invasive species, and Acacia baileyana, a species widely naturalized in New Zealand. However, pre‐dispersal seed predation rate was lower in New Zealand for Acacia pravissima, currently considered to be a casual species there. Both the invasive A. dealbata and the casual A. pravissima produced more seeds per tree in New Zealand than Australia. Main conclusions Differences in reproductive success between the native and introduced range could not explain the differences in invasion success among the three Acacia species. Although per capita reproductive output was higher in New Zealand for two species, neither mutualistic interactions with pollinators nor antagonistic interactions with pre‐dispersal seed predators explained those differences. The high seed output of A. pravissima suggests it has the potential to become invasive. These findings highlight the value of broad comparative studies in elucidating the drivers of invasion.

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The potential of seed‐eating birds to spread viable seeds of weeds and other undesirable plants

Cited by 13 publications

References 37 publications

Germination of native and introduced plants from scats of Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) in a south‐eastern Australian woodland landscape

Germination of native and introduced plants from scats of Fallow Deer (Dama dama) and Eastern Grey Kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) in a south‐eastern Australian woodland landscape

The role of waterbirds in the dispersal of aquatic alien and invasive species

Pollinators and predators at home and away: do they determine invasion success for Australian Acacia in New Zealand?

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