Ants as Seed Dispersers in a Mediterranean Old-Field Succession

Wolff, Axel; Debussche, Max

doi:10.2307/3546423

Cited by 80 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Messor ants can also act as seed dispersers (Wolf and Debussche, 1999;Retana et al, 2004). The results of this study show that seed dropping rates by the three species are similar, ranging from 10 to 15% of seeds transported along the trails.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Foraging behaviour of harvesting ants determines seed removal and dispersal

et al. 2010

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Foraging behaviour of harvesting ants determines seed removal and dispersal

et al. 2010

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“…In consequence, those fruits are generally lost under shrubs, precisely the most propitious microhabitat for recruitment in restrictive ecosystems such as saline steppes, where complex processes of facilitation play a crucial role in population and community dynamics (Pugnaire and Lázaro 2000;Facelli and Temby 2002). Indeed, Wolf and Debussche (1999) suggested that dyszoochory by ants could be a major mechanism influencing plant dynamics in open vegetation in the Mediterranean region. We were not able to gather data on the role of A. dulcineae as a potential disperser.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Do seed harvesting ants threaten the viability of a critically endangered non‐myrmecochorous perennial plant population? A complex interaction

et al. 2010

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This study analyzes the fate of seeds removed by ants, as well as the seed supply, seedling survival, and the ability to form persistent seed banks in the soil, in a critically endangered population of the non-myrmecochorous perennial halophyte Helianthemum polygonoides, in order to determine the extent to which seed removal by ants represents a real bottleneck for recruitment and thus a threat for long-term population viability. Apparently, the impact of seed-harvester ants was dramatic: the primary seed shadow was reduced by up to 93% by the activity of Messor bouvieri and Aphaenogaster dulcineae. However, M. bouvieri lost 7% of fruits collected by dropping them on trunk trails, mostly under plant cover, the most propitious microenvironment for recruitment. In addition, some seeds were mistakenly rejected in refuse piles, although here recruitment was extremely low. A significant fraction of seeds (&40%) remained viable in the soil for over 2 years. In addition, H. polygonoides had the ability to form shortterm persistent seed banks, in spite of the intense ant seed removal. In general, seedling recruitment was very low, denoting the scarcity of safe sites in the habitat. Overall, the data corroborate that seed removal by ants, although highly intense, does not compromise the viability of perennial-plant populations, because seed supply and seed reserve in the soil are enough to exploit current and future safe sites. A population viability analysis demonstrated that other threats affecting the survival of reproductive H. polygonoides plants actually constitute the real risk for the conservation of this critically endangered species.

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“…First, some plant seeds are a food resource for ants (Wolff and Debussche 1999;Gove et al 2007). Moreover, ants use plant structures in order to settle and built nests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invasive alien plants affect grassland ant communities, colony size and foraging behaviour

et al. 2013

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Ants are dominant members of many terrestrial ecosystems and are regarded as indicators of environmental changes. However, little is known about the effects of invasive alien plants on ant populations, particularly as regards the density, spatial distribution and size of ant colonies, as well as their foraging behaviour. We addressed these questions in a study of grassland ant communities on five grasslands invaded by alien goldenrods (Solidago sp.) and on five non-invaded grasslands without this plant. In each grassland, seven 100 m 2 plots were selected and the ant colonies counted. Ant species richness and colony density was lower in the plots on the invaded grasslands. Moreover, both of these traits were higher in the plots near the grassland edge and with a higher number of plant species in the grasslands invaded by goldenrods but not in the non-invaded ones. On average, ant colony size was lower on the invaded grasslands than the non-invaded ones. Also, ant workers travelled for longer distances to collect food items in the invaded areas than they did in the non-invaded ones, even after the experimental removal of some ant colonies in order to exclude the effect of higher colony density in the latter. Our results indicate that invasive alien goldenrods have a profound negative effect on grassland ant communities which may lead to a cascade effect on the whole grassland ecosystem through modification of the interactions among species. The invasion diminishes a major index of the fitness of ants, which is a colony's size, and probably leads to increased foraging effort of workers. This, in turn, may have important consequences for the division of labour and reproductive strategies within ant colonies.

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Ants as Seed Dispersers in a Mediterranean Old-Field Succession

Cited by 80 publications

References 43 publications

Foraging behaviour of harvesting ants determines seed removal and dispersal

Foraging behaviour of harvesting ants determines seed removal and dispersal

Do seed harvesting ants threaten the viability of a critically endangered non‐myrmecochorous perennial plant population? A complex interaction

Invasive alien plants affect grassland ant communities, colony size and foraging behaviour

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