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46 results for “seed removal”
Seed Bank in Hemlock Removal Experiment at Harvard Forest 2004-2015
The impending loss of hemlock trees due to hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) infestation prompted the need to identify species of plants able to colonize areas where hemlock has been removed. We investigated species present in the seed bank (in 2004 and 2010), the seedling bank (in 2004 and 2010), and seed rain (from 2005-2015) in the Harvard Forest Hemlock Removal Experiment. In 2004, Kelley Sullivan and Aaron Ellison determined the distribution of seeds buried in the soil in the six hemlock and two hardwood stands, before canopy treatments were applied (data files hf105-01, hf105-02). In 2010, Elizabeth Farnsworth and Aaron Ellison examined the distribution of plant species present five years after the simulated hemlock removal experiment was performed and six years after the baseline, pre-treatment study of the seedbank (data files hf105-03, hf105-04, hf105-05). In the 2010 study, we hypothesized that the composition of the seed and seedling banks and seed rain would diverge among the two treatments and the controls, based on the differential impacts of harvesting versus adelgid attack on the standing vegetation. We further hypothesized that the older (deeper) strata of the seedbanks of the treatment plots would have been exhausted over time, thus yielding poor germination relative to the top strata that continually receive seed rain. Identical methods of characterizing the composition of the seedbank and the aboveground vegetation at seedbank core locations were applied in both 2004 and 2010. Additional comparisons were made with long-term data collected on overall plant species composition in the Simes plots (datasets HF 106, HF126), and with data on seed rain (data file hf105-05). This study provides a unique temporal documentation of changes in the seedbank, seed rain, and vegetation under conditions of a changing overstory.
Tree Seed Dispersal in Hemlock Removal Experiment at Harvard Forest 2005
Throughout the northeast, the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae) threatens eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) through direct mortality resulting from infestation followed by defoliation and indirect mortality in the form of pre-emptive logging. The efficacy of regeneration of vegetation following hemlock decline depends upon advance regeneration of seedlings and saplings, seed dispersal, and recruitment. In this study, we investigated (1) whether the basic parameters of height of release and wind velocity affected seed dispersal distance and (2) tested the fit of a basic ballistic model of seed dispersal to empirical data in areas both with and without canopies. We collected empirical data from seed dropping and seed rain experiments at Harvard Forest. Height and wind velocity only affected seed dispersal distance in open areas. Predicted values of dispersal distance generated by the basic ballistic model did not provide a good fit to observed dispersal data. Poor fits of the ballistic model to the data were due to the model’s inability to account for rare, long distance dispersal events. More complex models with additional parameters are necessary to model non-localized seed dispersal.
Dataset: Seasonal field trials of single-seed removal by desert birds from experimental devices in Ñacuñan Reserve (Mendoza, Argentina)
<p>Dataset for the paper: Milesi FA, Lopez de Casenave J & Cueto VR (2018) Which food patches are worth exploring? Foraging desert birds do not follow environmental indicators of seed abundance at small scales: a field experiment. bioRxiv 295923. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/295923</p> <p>Metadata included within the tab-delimited text file</p>
RIV07 Seeding rates woody removal of a tallgrass prairie stream and riparian zone after a decade of woody vegetation removal
In fall of 2010 in watershed N2B ( 39.088976°, -96.588599°), we established plant community plots to assess the potential ability of the riparian zone to shift to a grassland state based on cutting alone and cutting with replanting. The three treatments were 1) naturally open riparian grassland before the removal, 2) areas cleared of woody vegetation, and 3) areas cleared of woody vegetation and seeded with prairie plant species. The addition of the seeded treatment was designed to address if recovery of grassland vegetation is hindered by propagule limitation. The seeded and non-seeded removal plots were adjacent to each other and randomly assigned. In each community type, there were four plots, each of which was 10 m parallel along and 3 m perpendicular to the stream channel. Each plot had four plant composition transects along which we sampled four one m2 subplots along each transect. Vegetative cover of vascular plant species was determined using a modified Daubenmire scale (Gibson and Hulbert 1987).
Dung removal and secondary seed dispersal data
<p>The datasets are described in the following data paper:<br> <br> Tanja Milotić, Christophe Baltzinger, Carsten Eichberg, Amy Eycott, Marco Heurich, Jörg Müller, Jorge Ari Noriega, Rosa Menendez, Jutta Stadler, Réka Ádám, Tessa Bahiga Bargmann, Isabelle Bilger, Jörn Buse, Joaquin Calatayud, Constantin Ciubuc, Gergely Boros, Marie Hauso, Pierre Jay-Robert, Märt Kruus, Enno Merivee, Geoffrey Miessen, Anne Must, Elham Omidzadeh Ardali, Elena Preda, Iraj Rahimi, Dirk Rohwedder, Eleanor M. Slade, László Somay, Pejman Tahmasebi, Stefano Ziani, Maurice Hoffmann (2018) Dung beetle assemblages and associated dung removal and secondary seed dispersal: data from a large-scaled multi-site experiment in the Western Palaearctic. Frontiers of Biogeography, Volume 10, Issue 1-2.</p>
[DEPRECATED] Seed Bank in Hemlock Removal Experiment at Harvard Forest 2004-2015 (Reformatted to ecocomDP Design Pattern)
This L1 ecocomDP dataset is deprecated. It is deprecated because the format of the L0 dataset does not mesh well with the ecocomDP model. This data package is formatted according to the "ecocomDP", a data package design pattern for ecological community surveys, and data from studies of composition and biodiversity. For more information on the ecocomDP project see https://github.com/EDIorg/ecocomDP/tree/master, or contact EDI https://environmentaldatainitiative.org. This Level 1 data package was derived from the Level 0 data package found here: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-hfr&identifier=105&revision=22 The abstract below was extracted from the Level 0 data package and is included for context:
Text-fig. 2. SEM images of Miranthus elegans gen. et sp. nov.; Mira locality, Portugal. a, b: Flowers in oblique lateral view showing remains of calyx and slightly semi-inferior ovary with elongated apical style (a); note larger openings in the floral tissue (asterisk) interpreted as schizogenous secretory cavities and the stomata-like secretory structures on the upper portion of the ovary (arrows) that are interpreted as nectariferous (b). c: Detail of ovary surface showing secretory stomata-like structures (arrows). d: Flower in lateral view showing fragmentary calyx and broken slightly semi-inferior ovary with secretory stomata-like structures; note the point of attachment of the central placenta (pl). e: Cluster of seeds removed from the ovary in (d) showing reticulate surface. f: Outer (abaxial) surface of calyx lobe showing the slightly pointed papillae and scattered, fine trichomes (arrows). g: Triaperturate pollen grains from the ovary surface. Specimens, Mira 100-S153146 (a, b), Mira 100-S170155 (c), Mira 100-S101266 (d, e), Mira 105-S100732 (f), Mira 100-S170125 (g). Scale bars = 600 µm (a, b, d), 300 µm (f), 100 µm (c, e), 10 µm (g). in Early Flowers Of Primuloid Ericales From The Late Cretaceous Of Portugal And Their Ecological And Phytogeographic Implications
Text-fig. 2. SEM images of Miranthus elegans gen. et sp. nov.; Mira locality, Portugal. a, b: Flowers in oblique lateral view showing remains of calyx and slightly semi-inferior ovary with elongated apical style (a); note larger openings in the floral tissue (asterisk) interpreted as schizogenous secretory cavities and the stomata-like secretory structures on the upper portion of the ovary (arrows) that are interpreted as nectariferous (b). c: Detail of ovary surface showing secretory stomata-like structures (arrows). d: Flower in lateral view showing fragmentary calyx and broken slightly semi-inferior ovary with secretory stomata-like structures; note the point of attachment of the central placenta (pl). e: Cluster of seeds removed from the ovary in (d) showing reticulate surface. f: Outer (abaxial) surface of calyx lobe showing the slightly pointed papillae and scattered, fine trichomes (arrows). g: Triaperturate pollen grains from the ovary surface. Specimens, Mira 100-S153146 (a, b), Mira 100-S170155 (c), Mira 100-S101266 (d, e), Mira 105-S100732 (f), Mira 100-S170125 (g). Scale bars = 600 µm (a, b, d), 300 µm (f), 100 µm (c, e), 10 µm (g).
Spatial patterns of seed removal by harvester ants in a seed tray experiment
<p>Using a selection of native grass and forb seeds commonly seeded in local restoration projects, we conducted a field experiment to evaluate the effects of seed species, distance of seed patches from nests, and distance between patches on patterns of seed removal by Owyhee harvester ants, <em>Pogonomyrmex salinus </em>(Olsen) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). To provide context for ants' seed preferences, we evaluated differences in handling time among seed species. In addition, we assessed the influences of cheatgrass, <em>Bromus tectorum </em>(L.) (Poales: Poaceae), and Sandberg bluegrass, <em>Poa secunda </em>(J. Presl.), cover on seed removal. We found significant differences in removal rates among seed species. In general, seeds placed closer to nests were more vulnerable to predation than those placed farther away, and seeds in closely spaced patches were more vulnerable than seeds in widely spaced patches. However, the strength of these effects differed by seed species. Differences in handling time among seed species may help to explain these findings; the protective effect of from-nest distance was weaker for species which required less time to transport. For two of the seed species, there was an interaction between the distance of seed patches from nests and the distance between patches such that the protective effect of distance between patches decreased as distance from nests increased. Cheatgrass and bluegrass cover both had small protective effects on seeds. Taken together, these results offer insight into the spatial ecology of harvester ant foraging and may provide context for successful implementation of restoration efforts where harvester ants are present.</p>
Fig. 1 in Secondary removal of seeds dispersed by gibbons (Hylobates lar) in a tropical dry forest in Thailand
Fig. 1. Distribution of experimental sites where seeds were dispersed by 4 groups of white-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar). Home range maps of the gibbons are based on Light (2016) and Phiphatsuwannachai et al. (2018), plus newly-discovered areas (extended home ranges) by the author. Fruiting trees and gibbon defecation locations were recorded in a GPS. Each site when active contained a camera trap and a paired control/treatment.
Fig 2 in Secondary removal of seeds dispersed by gibbons (Hylobates lar) in a tropical dry forest in Thailand
Fig 2. Estimates of beta-coefficients from binomial regressions with parameter estimates derived from model averaging with 95% confidence intervals. A variable is considered significant if the confidence interval does not overlap zero.
Spatial patterns of seed removal by harvester ants in a seed tray experiment
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Edge-mediated patterns of seed removal in experimentally connected and fragmented landscapes
While biological reserves remain central to biodiversity conservation, the amount of area available for terrestrial reserves may be inadequate for many taxa. Biodiversity spillover-the promotion of diversity in matrix areas surrounding reserves-might help address this shortfall in reserve area. However, the mechanistic underpinning of spillover remains uninvestigated. Two fundamental processes-seed dispersal and establishment-might generate plant biodiversity spillover. Here, we investigate the role of establishment in promoting spillover by assessing post-dispersal seed predation, a key component of establishment, in the matrix of a replicated, large-scale habitat fragmentation experiment, where spillover is elevated around patches connected by landscape corridors. Our results show that matrix seed predation may constrain the distance of this spillover effect by reducing establishment: seed removal was least at the matrix edge and increased further into the matrix. We found some support for matrix seed predation underpinning previously reported landscape-level variation in spillover. Of the three species we investigated, two showed evidence for elevated seed predation in the matrix surrounding the unconnected patches around which the lowest levels of spillover occur. However, seed predation did not explain connectivity-enhanced spillover, suggesting that seed dispersal likely drives this pattern. Management activities that increase seed deposition in the matrix may have beneficial effects via spillover. Our work also illustrates that matrix-mediated gradients in seed predation may be widespread, but likely vary depending upon matrix composition and the ecological system under consideration. In fragmented landscapes, this gradient could impact the distribution, abundance, and spread of plant species.
Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico
Despite frequent occurrences of invasive rats (Rattus spp.) on islands, their known effects on forests are limited. Where invasive rats have been studied, they generally have significant negative impacts on native plants, birds, and other animals. This study aimed to determine invasive rat distribution and effects on native plant populations via short-term seed removal trials in tropical rain forest habitats in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. To address the first objective, we used tracking tunnels (inked and baited cards inside tunnels enabling animal visitors' foot prints to be identified) placed on the ground and in the lower canopy within disturbed (treefall gaps, hurricane plots, stream edges) and undisturbed (continuous forest) habitats. We found that rats are present in all habitats tested. Secondly, we compared seed removal of four native tree species (Guarea guidonia, Buchenavia capitata, Tetragastris balsamifera, and Prestoea acuminata) between vertebrate-excluded and free-access treatments in the same disturbed and undisturbed habitats. Trail cameras were used to identify animals responsible for seed contact and removal. Black rats (R. rattus) were responsible for 65.1% of the interactions with seeds, of which 28.6% were confirmed seed removals. Two plant species had significantly more seeds removed in disturbed (gaps) than undisturbed forest. Prestoea acuminata had the lowest seed removal (9% in 10 d), whereas all other species had >30% removal. Black rats are likely influencing fates of seeds on the forest floor, and possibly forest community composition, through dispersal or predation. Further understanding of rat-plant interactions may be useful for formulating conservation strategies.
Data from: Seed removal, seed dispersers, and the allocation of tissues in Myrtaceae seeds
<p><span>To avoid seed predation, plants may invest in protective seed tissues. Often related to seed size, allocation in seeds' physical defenses can also be influenced by dispersers. We explore the relationships between seed traits (seed mass and hardness) and seed removal in 22 Myrtaceae species of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a dominant and diverse fleshy-fruited taxon dispersed by birds, rodents, and other mammals. Our goal is to understand how seed traits influence seed removal rates, and whether dispersers can affect tissue allocation in the seed coat. Seeds were exposed to field removal experiments. In the lab, total seed mass and seed coat mass were obtained. To evaluate the influence of seed traits on removal, we performed Kruskal-Wallis and Simple Linear Regression tests. We assessed seed coat and seed mass covariation through standardized major-axis allometric regressions. Harder seeds were larger than softer ones. Seed traits affect removal rates, as tougher and heavier seeds had lower removal. Seed mass significantly predicts seed coat proportion in seven of the 14 species tested. Bird-dispersed species tend to exhibit lower proportions of seed coat as seed mass increases, whereas rodent-dispersed species apparently present the opposite trend, with seed coat proportion increasing with seed mass. Such difference may be caused by the contrasting seed predation pressure represented by birds and rodents. Energy allocation for defense, expressed in seed coat proportion, is greater in large seeds, as these are mostly dispersed by rodents whose propensity to cache and disperse seeds is greater for large and well-protected seeds.</span></p>
Data from: Linking landscape features, anthropogenic stressors, and mammal abundance to unveil seed removal patterns in tropical deforested landscapes
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Data from: Habitat use and seed removal by invasive rats (Rattus rattus) in disturbed and undisturbed rainforest, Puerto Rico
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Data from: Seed removal, seed dispersers, and the allocation of tissues in Myrtaceae seeds
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Data from: Can variation in seed removal patterns of Neotropical pioneer tree species be explained by local ant community composition?
<p>Many plants depend on animals for seed dispersal, and ants commonly fill this role. We examined if heterogeneity in ant community composition among sites, between above- and below-ground foraging guilds, or between seasons predicts observed variation in seed removal rates for 12 nonmyrmecochorous Neotropical pioneer tree species on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We also investigated if ants associated with removing seeds differed in specific morphological characters from the larger ant community. We observed ant-seed interactions at caches to determine which ants removed seeds of 12 tree species. We also sampled ant community composition by placing 315 pitfall traps and 160 subterranean traps across the five sites where seed removal rates were quantified. Above-ground ant community composition varied by site but not season. Among-site variation in ant composition did not predict seed removal patterns at these same sites. Below-ground ant communities differed from above-ground ant communities but were not structured by either site or seed cache type. Finally, ants that removed seeds did not differ morphologically from the broader ant community. Overall, our results suggest ant communities vary over relatively small spatial scales but exhibit a high degree of functional redundancy in terms of seed removal services provided for Neotropical pioneer tree species.</p>
Data from: When condition trumps location: seed consumption by fruit-eating birds removes pathogens and predator attractants
Seed ingestion by frugivorous vertebrates commonly benefits plants by moving seeds to locations with fewer predators and pathogens than under the parent. For plants with high local population densities, however, movement from the parent plant is unlikely to result in 'escape' from predators and pathogens. Changes to seed condition caused by gut passage may also provide benefits, yet are rarely evaluated as an alternative. Here, we use a common bird-dispersed chilli pepper (Capsicum chacoense) to conduct the first experimental comparison of escape-related benefits to condition-related benefits of animal-mediated seed dispersal. Within chilli populations, seeds dispersed far from parent plants gained no advantage from escape alone, but seed consumption by birds increased seed survival by 370% – regardless of dispersal distance – due to removal during gut passage of fungal pathogens and chemical attractants to granivores. These results call into question the pre-eminence of escape as the primary advantage of dispersal within populations and document two overlooked mechanisms by which frugivores can benefit fruiting plants.
Data from: Ant seed removal in a non-myrmecochorous Neotropical shrub: implications for seed dispersal
<p>This study investigated ant seed removal of <em>Piper sancti-felicis</em>, an early successional Neotropical shrub. Neotropical <em>Piper</em> are a classic example of bat-dispersed plants, but we suggest that ants are underappreciated dispersal agents. We identified eleven ant species from the genera <em>Aphaenogaster, Ectatomma, Paratrechina, Pheidole, Trachymyrmex, </em>and<em> Wasmannia </em>recruiting to and harvesting <em>P. sancti-felicis</em> seeds in forest edge and secondary forest sites at La Selva, Costa Rica. We also tested for differences in ant recruitment to five states in which ants can commonly encounter seeds: unripe fruit, ripe fruit, overripe fruit, bat feces, and cleaned seeds. Overall, ants harvested more seeds from ripe and overripe fruits than other states, but this varied among species. To better understand the mechanisms behind ant preferences for ripe/overripe fruit, we also studied how alkenylphenols, secondary metabolites found in high concentrations in <em>P. sancti-felicis</em> fruits, affected foraging behavior in one genus of potential ant dispersers, <em>Ectatomma</em>. We found no effects of alkenyl- phenols on recruitment of <em>Ectatomma</em> to fruits, and thus, these compounds are un- likely to explain differences in ant recruitment among fruits of different maturity. Considering that <em>P. sancti-felicis</em> seeds have no apparent adaptations for ant disper- sal, and few ants removed seeds that were cleaned of pulp, we hypothesize that most ants are harvesting its seeds for the nutritional rewards in the attached pulp. This study emphasizes the importance of ants as important additional dispersers of <em>P. sancti-felicis</em> and suggests that other non-myrmecochorous, vertebrate-dispersed plants may similarly benefit from the recruitment to fruit by ants.</p>
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