An illustrated guide to seeds found in nests of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius

Tschinkel, Wälter R.; Domínguez, Daniel J.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0171419

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the Sonoran Desert, Veromessor pergandei colonies harvest enough seeds to produce 3.4 kg of dry, insect biomass per hectare, each year (Kwapich et al 2017). Likewise, Pogonomyrmex rugosus colonies store up to 70 mg of seeds per worker (Mackay 1981; MacKay 1984), while mature Pogonomyrmex badius colonies can amass a cache of 300,000 seeds, representing up to 58 species from 20 plant families (Tschinkel & Domınguez 2017). Even very large seeds are not safe from some Pogonomyrmex species, which rely on germination, rather than mechanical processing to access seeds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Granivorous ants prefer small and unprotected seeds—implications for restoration in arid ecosystems

Martyn

Kwapich

Kline

et al. 2022

Restoration Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Successful seed-based restoration in dryland systems is difficult due to the many limitations associated with germination and establishment. Seed predators, including granivorous ants, can consume or move applied seeds offsite reducing restoration success. Granivorous ants in the U.S. southwest move and store tens of thousands of seeds and show preferences for seeds based on weight, size, nutrient content, and novelty. In this study, we examine which seed traits most influence seed predation rates in a grassland in southwestern Arizona, U.S.A. We presented 24 seed types from native species with restoration value in three cafeteria-style selection areas installed adjacent to Pogonomyrmex nests. We also installed pitfall traps to assess the diversity of ant species that may have visited the cafeterias. Our results showed that among offered seeds, 3-99% were collected by granivorous ants, with small seeds and those with no structure the most preferred. Across all cafeterias, we had 11 ant species in our pitfall traps, with over half of those being known seed predators. From our study, we found that seed traits do influence ant seed preference and our results can help inform practices that could aid in keeping seed on the ground and increasing the chance of germination and establishment.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Granivorous ants prefer small and unprotected seeds—implications for restoration in arid ecosystems

Martyn

Kwapich

Kline

et al. 2022

Restoration Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Symbols indicate significance levels (i.e., p < .10 = +, p ≤ .05 = *, p ≤ .01 = **, and p ≤ .001 = ***), and the horizontal lines connect treatments to show pairwise comparisons. Seed images adapted from Tschinkel and Domínguez ( 2017 ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food resource richness increases seed disperser visitations and seed rain richness

Holdgrafer,

Mason,

Coleman

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Within the context of global change, seed dispersal research often focuses on changes in disperser communities (i.e., seed dispersers, such as birds, in an area) resulting from habitat fragmentation. This approach may not be completely illustrative due to certain seed disperser communities being more robust to fragmentation. Additionally, this top‐down approach overlooks how changing food resources on landscapes impacts resource tracking and, subsequently, seed dispersal. We hypothesized resource tracking may promote diffuse plant–animal dispersal mutualisms if resource richness is positively linked to disperser and seed rain richness. We predicted increasing food resource richness attracts more visits and species of avian dispersers, resulting in higher counts and greater species richness of seeds deposited at sites (i.e., seed rain). We tested this mechanism in two replicated field experiments using a model system with bird feeders positioned above seed traps. In the first experiment, we demonstrated resource presence skews seed rain. In the second experiment, we explored how species richness of food resources (0, 4, 8, or 12 species) affected the species richness and visitation of avian seed dispersers at feeders and in subsequent seed rain. Collectively, we observed a positive relationship between available food resources and seed rain, likely mediated by resource tracking behavior of avian dispersers. Our findings underscore a potential key mechanism that may facilitate ecological diversity, whereby accumulating species richness in the plant community attracts a more diverse seed disperser community and indirectly promotes more species in seed rain. Importantly, the resource tracking mechanism driving this potential positive feedback loop may also result in negative ecosystem effects if global change diminishes resource availability through homogenization processes, such as invasive species colonization. Future research should explore the bottom‐up effects of global change on food resources and seed disperser behavior to complement the literature on changing disperser communities.

show abstract

Seasonal Diet Change of the Florida Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex badius) and Competition with the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta)

Robertson,

Bossart

2024

Southeastern Naturalist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An illustrated guide to seeds found in nests of the Florida harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex badius

Cited by 4 publications

References 14 publications

Granivorous ants prefer small and unprotected seeds—implications for restoration in arid ecosystems

Granivorous ants prefer small and unprotected seeds—implications for restoration in arid ecosystems

Food resource richness increases seed disperser visitations and seed rain richness

Seasonal Diet Change of the Florida Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex badius) and Competition with the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About