Ants affect the distribution and performance of seedlings of Clusia criuva, a primarily bird‐dispersed rain forest tree

Abstract

Summary 1We studied the dispersal system of the tree Clusia criuva (Clusiaceae) in a tropical rain forest in south-east Brazil. An observational/experimental approach was adopted to estimate the probability of transitions between consecutive stages in the recruitment process (i.e. fruit production and removal by birds, ant-seed interactions on the forest floor, seed germination, and establishment and early survival of seedlings). 2 Clusia trees produce hundreds of capsules with small lipid-rich arillate seeds. Crop size ranges from 393 to 3709 capsules per tree. Birds (14 species) eat 83% of the diaspores on the tree, while the remaining 17% fall to the ground and are removed by ants (16 species). 3 Ants remove 89% of the fallen diaspores and 98% of the seeds found in bird faeces. Ponerine ants ( Odontomachus , Pachycondyla ) carry the diaspores to their nests, while small myrmicines ( Pheidole , Crematogaster ) remove the aril where found. Aril removal by ants and removal of seeds from bird defecations increase germination success in C . criuva . 4 Seedlings are more frequent close to ponerine nests than in control areas without such nests. Early seedling survival (1 year) in nests of Pachycondyla striata is greater than in control areas. Soil samples from nests of P . striata also had higher concentrations of total nitrogen and phosphorus than random soil samples. 5 This is the first study to demonstrate the combined effects of ants on the distribution and survival of seedlings of a primarily vertebrate-dispersed plant in a tropical forest.

Seasonal Analysis of Taxonomic and Functional Diversity of Poneromorph Ant Assemblages in the Amazon Forest

“…In spite of being frequently called hunting ants (Jimenez et al, 2008), poneromorph ants have a diversified diet, which includes live and dead prey, fruits, seeds, and liquids produced by plants or obtained from other insects (Medeiros, 1997;Lattke, 2003;Jimenez et al, 2008). Some species of poneromorph ants are important seed dispersers (Passos & Oliveira, 2002Almeida et al, 2013). They also have diversified nesting habits, including species that build nests in the soil, leaf litter, and trees (Lattke, 2003;Jimenez et al, 2008;Wilkie et al, 2010).…”

Dois casos de poliembrionia em Clusiaceae: Clusia criuva Cambess. e Clusia fluminensis Planch. & Triana

“…A dispersão das sementes é zoocórica, primariamente por pássaros (Gomes et al 2008) e, no caso de C. criuva, secundariamente por formigas (Passos & Oliveira 2002).…”

Bird attributes, plant characteristics, and seed dispersal of Pera glabrata (Schott, 1858), (Euphorbiaceae) in a disturbed cerrado area

“…Although the interaction between fruits and birds has been intensively studied in Neotropical forests (Howe, 1977;Wheelwright, 1985;Foster, 1987Foster, , 1990Galetti and Stotz, 1996;Pizo, 1997;Wenny and Levey, 1998;Passos and Oliveira, 2002), there is little information on seed dispersal by birds in other biomes, such as the Brazilian cerrado (Motta-Junior and Lombardi, 1990;Francisco and Galetti, 2001;Cazetta et al, 2002;Galetti, 2002a, 2002b). Here we investigate the ornithochoric seed dispersal of Pera glabrata Schott (Euphorbiaceae) in a cerrado fragment in southeastern Brazil.…”

“…Seed dispersal is a key element in plant demography and survival (Herrera et al, 1994;Wenny and Levey, 1998;Tabarelli et al, 1999;Passos and Oliveira, 2002), and it is well known that most Neotropical tree and shrub species attract birds and mammals to disperse their seeds (Jordano, 1992;Pinheiro and Ribeiro, 2001).…”