| Full text | |
| Author(s): |
Total Authors: 2
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| Affiliation: | [1] Univ Fed Sao Carlos UFSCar, Programa Posgrad Ecol & Recursos Nat, Sao Carlos, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Fed Sao Carlos UFSCar, Dept Ciencias Ambientais, Sao Paulo - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 2
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| Document type: | Journal article |
| Source: | OIKOS; v. 2022, n. 2 FEB 2022. |
| Web of Science Citations: | 2 |
| Abstract | |
Interactions among animals and plants are key to understanding seed dispersal, plant regeneration and plant community patterns. These interactions can be dynamic, with changes of species and functional roles across space and time. Despite fluctuations in species abundances and resources over time being the rule in natural communities, most studies approach plant-frugivore interactions as temporally static. We documented changes in bird and ant species in interactions with plants producing carbohydrate- (Miconia rubiginosa) or lipid-rich diaspores (Xylopia aromatica) comparing two fruiting seasons 15 years apart in a savanna in southeastern Brazil. We tested if abundance and body size of dispersal vectors (birds and ants) affected the frequency of interactions and the quantitative effectiveness of seed dispersal (QTC). Rich bird (26 species) and ant (18 genera) assemblages interacted with the diaspores. A core of bird and ant taxa was temporally consistent, and responsible for most seed removal across the two years for both plants. Temporal transience was more common for sporadic partners of interactions, and for species with similar functional roles. Abundance and body size of birds affected the interspecific contributions to QTC. Large-bodied birds dispersed large quantities of seeds of our relatively small-seeded plants, even if their visits were sporadic. For ants, variations in temperature and rainfall across time seems more important in driving variations in the contributions to QTC. The combined effect of birds and ants in the same system helps to stabilize the temporal fluctuations in the amount of seeds dispersed. However, ants alone are unlikely to replace the functional roles of vertebrate dispersers. Even though species in the assemblage change either their quantitative contribution to seed dispersal or their presence or absence in the interaction network, species persisting in interaction over time are the most important quantitative partners for plants. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 02/12895-8 - Interaction among ants, fruit and seeds in the Cerrado : the role of ants in the biology of seeds and seedlings |
| Grantee: | Alexander Vicente Christianini |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate |