Mucilage‐bound sand reduces seed predation by ants but not by reducing apparency: a field test of 53 plant species

LoPresti, Eric F.; Pan, Vincent; Goidell, Jake; Weber, Marjorie G.; Karban, Richard

doi:10.1002/ecy.2809

Cited by 20 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In four cases(Citrus sinensis, Solanum nigrum, Triglochin bulbosa, and Tripleurospermum maritimum), subspecies were used as proxies in the phylogeny. For the genus Narcissus, we used the species N. tazetta for tree pruning(LoPresti et al, 2019). garis, Solanum lycopersicum, and Solanum melongena).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

No escape: The influence of substrate sodium on plant growth and tissue sodium responses

Santiago‐Rosario

Harms

Elderd

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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mentioning

confidence: 99%

No escape: The influence of substrate sodium on plant growth and tissue sodium responses

Santiago‐Rosario

Harms

Elderd

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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“…In contrast, seeds of species of Polemoniaceae were more weakly attached than expected given their mucilage mass; their mucilage composition and primary function of mucilage in nature is thus far unknown but deserves more investigation. We have found that it provides a defensive benefit to several species in the family (LoPresti et al, 2019, Pan et al, 2021, though it was not as protective as mucilage of other families in those studies as well.…”

Section: What Drives Dislodgement Force?mentioning

confidence: 59%

“…The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted September 25, 2021. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.09.25.461784 doi: bioRxiv preprint provides a defensive benefit to several species in the family (LoPresti et al, 2019, Pan et al, 2021, though it was not as protective as mucilage of other families in those studies as well.…”

Section: What Drives Dislodgement Force?mentioning

confidence: 91%

“…In the few studies which have examined across species or populations, specific mucilage traits have been predictive of functional or ecological performance. In Pan et al (2021), species with stronger anchorage were more protected from granivorous ants, as were seeds with more mucilage-bound sand (LoPresti et al, 2019). In the only example explicitly dealing with antitelechory, Engelbrecht et al (2014) found that seeds of Fumana ericoides (Cistaceae) from low erosion sites produced significantly less mucilage than those from high erosion sites; suggesting functional variation in the trait, though another species in the same family (Helianthemum violaceum) did not show the same pattern.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Anchorage by seed mucilage prevents seed dislodgement in high surface flow: a mechanistic investigation

Pan

Girvin

LoPresti

2021

Preprint

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Seed mucilage is a common and highly diverse trait shared among thousands of angiosperms. While long recognized that mucilage allows seeds to anchor to substrates (antitelechory), we still lack a mechanistic understanding of this process. We propose a mechanistic model of how mucilage affects substrate anchorage and fluid resistance, ultimately contributing to antitelechory. To test this model, we subjected mucilaginous seeds of 52 species, varying in eight measured seed traits, to a week of continuous water flow at a range of erosion potentials. Supporting our model, mucilage mass increased both dry and wet attachment strength, which explained time to erosion well. A standard deviation increase in log mucilage mass increased seed time to dislodgement by 280 times. Fluid resistance was largely dependent on speed of water flow and the seed's modified drag coefficient, but not the quality of the seed or seed mucilage. Neither mucilage expansion speed nor mucilage decay rate explained dislodgement potential well. Our results suggest that the high substrate anchorage strength is the primary role of mucilage in fostering seed establishment in highly erosive environments. In contrast, other seed and mucilage trait differences among species are of lesser importance to antitelechory.

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“…Conversely, removal of seeds from animal scat by arthropod granivores, particularly ants, is well‐documented (Levey and Byrne 1993, Passos and Oliveira 2003, Pizo et al 2005, Manzano et al 2010, Fricke et al 2016), and mammalian scat may increase seed predation when its odor attracts arthropods that utilize additional resources found in scat (Sainz‐Borgo 2015). Alternatively, mammalian scat deposition may impede arthropod granivory by reducing seed apparency (Pizo et al 2005) or by acting as a physical barrier to arthropod handling, much like seed mucilage (LoPresti et al 2019). To our knowledge, no research has compared the roles of different granivore guilds (e.g., rodents vs. arthropods) in post‐dispersal predation of seeds deposited in mesopredator scat.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An omnivorous mesopredator modifies predation of omnivore‐dispersed seeds

Bartel

Orrock

2021

Ecosphere

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Post-dispersal seed predation is an important determinant of plant recruitment. Although many plant species are dispersed following consumption by omnivorous vertebrates, the potential for these dispersal agents to indirectly affect seed fate by modifying seed predator behavior is poorly understood. We evaluated the hypothesis that the scat of an omnivorous vertebrate (coyote, Canis latrans), which is also a rodent predator, would reduce seed predation by rodent granivores. We also hypothesized that scat would lead to increased removal by arthropod seed predators by providing a resource that attracts ants and other arthropods. We examined the role of omnivore deposition on seed predation of two animaldispersed species that differed in size: Larger Prunus serotina seeds are attacked only by rodents, whereas smaller Rubus allegheniensis seeds are attacked by arthropods and rodents. Using an experiment that manipulated the presence of coyote scat and access by different granivore guilds, we found that scat reduced the total number of seeds removed from full-access depots by 12%, but it increased the total number of seeds removed from arthropod-only depots by 43%. Rodent removal of P. serotina seeds was 21% lower in the presence of scat. Scat composition was also important in affecting rodent seed predation, with seed predation 50% lower in the presence of meat-rich scat compared with mixed or fruit-rich scat. Arthropod removal of R. allegheniensis seeds was 43% higher in the presence of scat. Prunus serotina seeds were generally removed at greater rates than R. allegheniensis seeds in full-access trays; however, scat reduced this difference in removal rates from 37% more P. serotina seeds removed to 18% more P. serotina seeds removed. These findings illuminate a new pathway through which omnivores may influence plant populations by modifying post-dispersal seed predation by arthropods and rodents. Moreover, our results indicate that the ultimate effect of vertebrate omnivores on seed survival in a given region may depend upon omnivore diet, dominant seed predator guilds, and differences in granivore seed preference.

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Mucilage‐bound sand reduces seed predation by ants but not by reducing apparency: a field test of 53 plant species

Cited by 20 publications

References 39 publications

No escape: The influence of substrate sodium on plant growth and tissue sodium responses

No escape: The influence of substrate sodium on plant growth and tissue sodium responses

Anchorage by seed mucilage prevents seed dislodgement in high surface flow: a mechanistic investigation

An omnivorous mesopredator modifies predation of omnivore‐dispersed seeds

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