Measuring the terminal velocity of tiny diaspores

Zotz, Gerhard; Weichgrebe, Letizia; Happatz, Harry; Einzmann, Helena J. R.

doi:10.1017/s0960258516000155

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Terminal velocity might be an important indirect parameter for predicting the capacity of diaspores for secondary dispersal by wind, since it is thought to be linked to dispersal distance ( Andersen, 1992 ; Tackenberg, 2003 ; Soons et al , 2004 ; Nathan et al , 2011 ; Caplat et al , 2012 ; Zotz et al , 2016 ). In our study, terminal velocity was correlated to lift-off velocity for all species only on the upwind slope and in species with diaspore appendages on both slope directions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wing loading, not terminal velocity, is the best parameter to predict capacity of diaspores for secondary wind dispersal

Liang

Liu

et al. 2020

Journal of Experimental Botany

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Abstract Lift-off velocity may be the most useful surrogate to measure the secondary dispersal capacity of diaspores. However, the most important diaspore attribute determining diaspore lift-off velocity is unclear. Furthermore, it is not known whether terminal velocity used to characterize the primary dispersal capacity of diaspores can also be used to predict their secondary wind dispersal capacity. Here, we investigate how diaspore attributes are related to lift-off velocity. Thirty-six species with diaspores differing in mass, shape index, projected area, wing loading, and terminal velocity were used in a wind tunnel to determine the relationship between diaspore attributes and lift-off velocity. We found that diaspore attributes largely explained the variation in lift-off velocity, and wing loading, not terminal velocity, was the best parameter for predicting lift-off velocity of diaspores during secondary wind dispersal. The relative importance of diaspore attributes in determining lift-off velocity was modified by both upwind and downwind slope directions and type of diaspore appendage. These findings allow us to predict diaspore dispersal behaviors using readily available diaspore functional attributes, and they indicate that wing loading is the best proxy for estimating the capacity for secondary dispersal by wind.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where m is the diaspore mass and p is the projected area. The terminal velocity was defined as the constant falling velocity of a diaspore in still air ( Green, 1980 ), and it was measured with an apparatus described by Zotz et al (2016) .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wing loading, not terminal velocity, is the best parameter to predict capacity of diaspores for secondary wind dispersal

Liang

Liu

et al. 2020

Journal of Experimental Botany

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“…a lower settling velocity (0.06 m/s) than orchid seeds (0.09-0.4), enhancing long-distance wind dispersal (Zotz et al, 2016). Analyses of population genetic structure in tropical epiphytic ferns further revealed that most of the genetic diversity was distributed within populations and failed to evidence any significant clustering, pointing to strong migration rates among populations (Winkler et al, 2011).…”

Section: Randomized Occupancy Rate (Mean ± Sd)mentioning

confidence: 99%

What makes a good phorophyte? Predicting occupancy, species richness and abundance of vascular epiphytes in a lowland seasonal tropical forest

Shen

Song²,

Collart³

et al. 2022

Front. For. Glob. Change

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Epiphytes typically exhibit clustered distribution patterns, but predicting the spatial variation of their distribution at fine scales has long been a challenge. Taking advantage of a canopy crane giving access to 1.1 ha of lowland seasonal rainforest in Yunnan (China), we assess here which factors promote the probability that a given tree hosts epiphytes, and the variation of species richness and abundance of epiphytic spermatophytes and ferns among trees. Variation in epiphyte species richness as a function of host tree size, characteristics of its surrounding environment, topography and microclimatic conditions, were analyzed by Random Forest. Epiphytic spermatophytes and ferns occupied 2.3 and 10.8% of the available host trees, respectively. Significant models predicting which trees are more likely to host epiphytes than others were obtained, indicating that host tree characteristics and their local environment play a significant role in determining which host tree is most likely to be colonized. These models, as well as models for species richness and abundance, however, exhibited a moderate to low accuracy (r2 0.28 and 0.24 and of 0.12 and 0.14 for spermatophyte and fern richness and abundance, respectively). The best predictor of the presence of epiphytes on a tree, of its epiphytic species richness and abundance, was its DBH. In ferns, however, two peaks of species richness were observed, representing shade-loving ferns on small trees and sun-loving ferns on large trees. Microclimatic conditions and light intensity were the second best factor accounting for variation in species richness and abundance among trees. The contribution of liana infestation, host tree identity, and characteristics of neighboring trees were marginal. Our inclusion of a large number of host-tree characteristics and their local environment did not allow for an apparent improvement of model accuracy over studies with a more limited number of predictors, pointing to the role of chance upon tree colonization. Our results confirm the utmost importance of large trees with emergent canopies for the conservation of the epiphytic flora, but also indicate that epiphytic diversity assessments in tropical forests must also include small understorey trees, which should be further considered for conservation. The importance of the micro-climatic conditions that prevail at the level of each individual host tree further points to the necessity of maintaining a buffer zone around large host trees targeted for conservation.

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“…Wing loading is diaspore mass divided by projected area (Greene and Johnson, 1997). The terminal velocity was measured with an apparatus (a black lightproof box provides a calm space for the determination of the falling velocity) described by Zotz et al (2016). The constant falling velocity of a diaspore in still air was recorded by a camera (Zhou et al, 2020).…”

Section: Diaspore Selection and Trait Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shrub canopy interception of diaspores dispersed by wind

Qin

Liu

et al. 2020

Seed Sci. Res.

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Interception by plant canopies during wind dispersal can affect the final destination of diaspores. However, how the interaction of wind speed, canopy type and diaspore attributes affects interception of diaspores by the plant canopy has rarely been studied. We investigated canopy interception for 29 species with different diaspore attributes, six canopy types and six wind speeds in controlled experiments in a wind tunnel. Shrub canopy interception of diaspores were controlled by wind speed and diaspore attributes, but the latter had a greater influence on canopy interception than the former. At low wind speed, diaspore wing loading had a large influence on canopy interception, whereas at high wind speed, diaspore projection area had a large influence. The chance of canopy interception at a particular wind speed was additionally affected by the type of canopy. This study increases our knowledge of the dispersal process, corrects the previous understanding of diaspore dispersal potential and improves the theoretical basis for predicting spatial pattern and dynamics of plant populations.

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Measuring the terminal velocity of tiny diaspores

Cited by 13 publications

References 22 publications

Wing loading, not terminal velocity, is the best parameter to predict capacity of diaspores for secondary wind dispersal

Wing loading, not terminal velocity, is the best parameter to predict capacity of diaspores for secondary wind dispersal

What makes a good phorophyte? Predicting occupancy, species richness and abundance of vascular epiphytes in a lowland seasonal tropical forest

Shrub canopy interception of diaspores dispersed by wind

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