Mammals as Seed-Dispersal Mutualists in North America

Willson, Mary F.

doi:10.2307/3545106

Cited by 218 publications

(178 citation statements)

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“…Bears are well-known frugivores, consuming many species of fleshy fruits (Auger et al 2002;Willson 1993). Fruits can be an important resource for preparing for winter dormancy and lactation (females give birth in winter dens), and berry-crop failures can lead to lower reproductive success (Rogers 1987).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Potential dispersal agents include corvids, thrushes, warblers, waxwings, Pine Marten (Hickey et al 1999) and bears (Willson 1993(Willson , 1994. Bears are important dispersers of seeds, because they can consume large quantities of fruit (Welch et al 1997;Farley and Robbins 1995) and often range over considerable distances (Patten 1993), distributing seeds far from the source.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Seed Dispersal by Brown Bears, <em>Ursus arctos</em>, in Southeastern Alaska

Willson

Gende

2004

Can Field Nat

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Mammals often consume fleshy fruits and disperse significant quantities of the enclosed seeds. In southeastern Alaska, Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) are among the most important dispersers of seeds for the numerous plant species producing fleshy fruits, because these bears are abundant, often eat large quantities of fruit, and commonly excrete seeds in germinable condition. Scat analyses showed that Brown Bears on Chichagof Island ate increasing quantities of fruit through summer and fall. Scats commonly contained several thousand seeds, often of two or more species. Four kinds of seeds of fleshyfruited plants that normally grow in forest understory germinated at similar levels when experimentally deposited (in bear scats) in the two most common habitats (forest and muskeg), suggesting that habitat distribution of these plants is not determined simply by germination patterns. Although seed passage through bear digestive tracts and the composition of scats are known to affect germination rates to some degree, the most important role of bears in seed dispersal is probably transport.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Seed Dispersal by Brown Bears, <em>Ursus arctos</em>, in Southeastern Alaska

Willson

Gende

2004

Can Field Nat

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“…Each was parameterized as a functional metric—meaning that species‐specific information on F. vesca was used—and calculated over a circular radius of 10 km from the point of collection of genotypes. This distance is likely beyond the upper threshold of dispersal/gene flow for F. vesca within several generations, given the species' typical means of biotic dispersal (Muller‐Schneider, 1986; Willson, 1993). As inputs for the calculation of these metrics, similarity and edge contrast weights were first defined for all pairwise combinations of the eight land cover types (Table S1).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Capturing genetic variation in crop wild relatives: An evolutionary approach

Egan

Muola

Stenberg

2018

Evolutionary Applications

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Crop wild relatives (CWRs) offer novel genetic resources for crop improvement. To assist in the urgent need to collect and conserve CWR germplasm, we advance here the concept of an “evolutionary” approach. Central to this approach is the predictive use of spatial proxies of evolutionary processes (natural selection, gene flow and genetic drift) to locate and capture genetic variation. As a means to help validate this concept, we screened wild‐collected genotypes of woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) in a common garden. A quantitative genetic approach was then used to test the ability of two such proxies—mesoclimatic variation (a proxy of natural selection) and landscape isolation and geographic distance between populations (proxies of gene flow potential)—to predict spatial genetic variation in three quantitative traits (plant size, early season flower number and flower frost tolerance). Our results indicated a significant but variable effect of mesoclimatic conditions in structuring genetic variation in the wild, in addition to other undetermined regional scale processes. As a proxy of gene flow potential, landscape isolation was also a likely determinant of observed patterns—as opposed to, and regardless of, geographic distance between populations. We conclude that harnessing proxies of adaptive and nonadaptive evolutionary processes could provide a robust and valuable means to identify genetic variation in CWRs. We thus advocate wider use and development of this approach amongst researchers, breeders and practitioners, to expedite the capture and in situ conservation of genetic resources provided by crop wild relatives.

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“…Some species of carnivores commonly consume large amounts of fleshy fruits and usually defecate undamaged seeds (Herrera 1989, Willson 1993. Consequently, these animals can play an important role in seed dispersal for many plants (Willson 1993, Otani 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, these animals can play an important role in seed dispersal for many plants (Willson 1993, Otani 2002. Carnivores generally have larger home ranges than herbivores with similar body size (Lindstedt et al 1986), which leads to longer travel distances and, consequently, to farther seed dispersal (Otani 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) as a secondary seed disperser of Eugenia umbelliflora (Myrtaceae) in a Restinga forest of southeastern Brazil

Cazetta

Galetti

2009

Biota Neotrop.

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CAZETTA, E. & GALETTI, M. The Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) as a secondary seed disperser of Eugenia umbelliflora (Myrtaceae) in a Restinga forest of southeastern Brazil. Biota Neotrop., 9(2): http:// www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v9n2/en/abstract?short-communication+bn02509022009. Abstract:The crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) exhibits a very generalist habit and fruits compose a large proportion of its diet. However, few studies evaluated the importance of this animal as seed disperser. In the Restinga forest, in the Atlantic forest of Brazil, C. thous consumes fruits of Eugenia umbelliflora, a Myrtaceae species, which is dispersed chiefly by birds. This study evaluated the effects of gut transit on seed germination, and size selection of E. umbelliflora fruits by the crab-eating fox. We did not find differences on germination rates between seeds dispersed by foxes and control ones, but seeds dispersed by foxes germinated faster, which may be important for plant recruitment. Seeds consumed by C. thous were smaller than those available on the ground, indicating selection for small fruits. Regardless of the selection of small fruits, C. thous appears to be an important secondary disperser of E. umbelliflora, distributing large quantities of viable seeds of this Myrtaceae in the Restinga forest. Keywords: Atlantic Forest, carnivores, frugivory, fruit choice, seed dispersal. CAZETTA, E. & GALETTI, M. O chachorro do mato (Cerdocyon thous) como dispersor secundário deEugenia umbelliflora (Myrtaceae) em uma floresta de Restinga no sudeste do Brasil. Biota Neotrop., 9(2): http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v9n2/pt/abstract?short-communication+bn02509022009.Resumo: O cachorro do mato (Cerdocyon thous) tem um hábito bastante generalista e frutos compõem uma grande proporção de sua dieta. No entanto, poucos estudos avaliaram a importância deste animal como dispersor de sementes. Na floresta de restinga da Mata Atlântica brasileira C. thous consome frutos de Eugenia umbelliflora, uma espécie de Myrtaceae, que é dispersa principalmente por aves. Este estudo avaliou o efeito da passagem das sementes pelo tubo digestivo na germinação das sementes e a seleção de tamanho de frutos de E. umbelliflora pelo cachorro do mato. Não houve diferença nas taxas de germinação entre as sementes dispersas pelo cachorro do mato e as sementes controle, mas as sementes dispersas pelo cachorro germinaram mais rápido, o que pode ser importante para o recrutamento das plantas. As sementes consumidas pelo cachorro do mato foram menores do que as sementes disponíveis no solo, indicando seleção por frutos menores. Apesar de selecionarem frutos menores, o cachorro do mato parece ser um importante dispersor secundário de E. umbelliflora, distribuindo grandes quantidades de sementes viáveis desta espécie de Myrtaceae na restinga. Palavras-chave: carnívoros, dispersão de sementes, escolha de frutos, frugivoria, Mata Atlântica. Biota Neotrop., vol. 9, no. 2 occurs from March to May, and fruiting begins in June and extends to October (Staggemeier et a...

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Mammals as Seed-Dispersal Mutualists in North America

Cited by 218 publications

References 158 publications

Seed Dispersal by Brown Bears, <em>Ursus arctos</em>, in Southeastern Alaska

Seed Dispersal by Brown Bears, <em>Ursus arctos</em>, in Southeastern Alaska

Capturing genetic variation in crop wild relatives: An evolutionary approach

The Crab-eating Fox (Cerdocyon thous) as a secondary seed disperser of Eugenia umbelliflora (Myrtaceae) in a Restinga forest of southeastern Brazil

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