Restio culm felling is a consequence of pre-dispersal seed predation by the rodent Rhabdomys pumilio in the Fynbos

Blerk, Justin J. van; West, Adam G.; Midgley, Jeremy J.

doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2017.05.017

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Taking this into account will require changes to the way ecological experiments are performed and analysed. For example, when offering seeds at feeding stations to granivores, seed fate should be tracked beyond removal from the station, to establish that the seed is actually consumed rather than being cached or dropped (Forget & Wenny, ; Xiao, Jansen & Zhang, ; Hirsch, Kays & Jansen, ; Sidhu & Datta, 2015; van Blerk et al ., ). Although this will undoubtedly make experiments more laborious, it will provide precious information on the real nature of seed–animal interactions.…”

Section: Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This requires the conceptual and methodological unification of two separate ecological subdisciplines: dispersal ecology and seed‐predation ecology. Future experiments designed to quantify seed loss to seed predators should take into consideration the possibility that some removed seeds are actually effectively dispersed rather than eaten (O'Rourke et al ., ; Alignier et al ., ; van Blerk, West & Midgely, ). It is convenient to assume, as most studies on seed predation do, that all seeds removed are consumed (Westerman et al ., ), but this may not be true.…”

Section: Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction

2018

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Synzoochory is the dispersal of seeds by seed-caching animals. The animal partner in this interaction plays a dual role, acting both as seed disperser and seed predator. We propose that this duality gives to synzoochory two distinctive features that have crucial ecological and evolutionary consequences. First, because plants attract animals that have not only positive (seed dispersal) but also negative (seed predation) impacts on their fitness, the evolution of adaptations to synzoochory is strongly constrained. Consequently, it is not easy to identify traits that define a synzoochorous dispersal syndrome. The absence of clear adaptations entails the extra difficulty of identifying synzoochorous plants by relying on dispersal traits, limiting our ability to explore the full geographic, taxonomic and phylogenetic extent of synzoochory. Second, the positive and negative outcomes of interactions with synzoochorous animals are expressed simultaneously. Consequently, synzoochorous interactions are not exclusively mutualistic or antagonistic, but are located at some point along a mutualism-antagonism continuum. What makes synzoochory interesting and unique is that the position of each partner along the continuum can be evaluated for every plant-animal interaction, and thus the continuum can be precisely described by assessing the relative frequency of positive and negative interaction events in each pairwise interaction. Herein we explore these two main features of synzoochory with a comprehensive quantitative survey of published studies on synzoochory. Synzoochory has been recorded for at least 1339 plant species differing in life forms, from annual and short-lived herbs to long-lived trees, belonging to 641 genera and 157 families widely distributed across the globe and across the seed plant phylogeny. Over 30 animal families belonging to five disparate taxonomic groups (rodents, marsupials, birds, insects, and land crabs) potentially act as synzoochorous dispersers. Although synzoochory appears to be fundamentally a secondary dispersal mode, many abundant and dominant trees are primarily synzoochorous. In addition, we found evidence of the existence of diplosynzoochory (caching animals acting both as primary and secondary dispersers of the same individual seed), mostly in nut-bearing trees. Finally, we found that synzoochorous interactions are widely spread across the mutualism-antagonism continuum. Nevertheless, there were some differences among disperser species and functional groups. Corvids and some rodents (cricetids, nesomyids, sciurids) were located in the positive-effects region of the continuum and presumably behave mostly as dispersers, whereas land crabs and insects were located in the negative-effects extreme and behave mostly as seed predators. Our review demonstrates that synzoochory is not an anecdotal ecological interaction. Rather, it is pivotal to the functioning of many ecosystems where the natural regeneration of keystone plant species depends on the activity of granivorous animals that play a du...

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Section: Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Prospectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction

2018

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“…More detailed research is needed before considering tail length as an adaptive trait in Rhabdomys. Nevertheless, R. bechuanae and R. pumilio were observed climbing shrubs, feeding on male protea flowers or climbing and biting off female culms of Cannomois congesta plants to consume seeds and inflorescences (Melidonis & Peter 2015, Hobbhahn et al 2017, van Blerk et al 2017. Further studies comparing the climbing abilities of arid and mesic Rhabdomys species, and assessing the correlation between tail lengths, habitat characteristics, and climbing ability within species are required to test the climbing hypothesis.…”

Section: A Taxonomically Informative Phenotypic Traitmentioning

confidence: 99%

An update on the distribution and diversification of Rhabdomys sp. (Muridae, Rodentia)

Ganem

Dufour

Avenant

et al. 2020

Journal of Vertebrate Biology

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“…As a suggestion for future work, we note this might be more easily clarified by also considering locations where large frugivores are scarce or absent thus reducing associated damage. In any case, both tree species, M. holstii and S. birrea, represent cases where fruit or seed eating animals cause greater damage to female plants (see also, e.g., Avila-Sakar & Romanow 2012, Romero-Pérez et al 2020, van Blerk et al 2017.…”

Section: Size and Damagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various studies, and several overviews, suggest male plants are often less well defended and tend to suffer higher levels of herbivore related damage (e.g., Cornelissen & Stiling 2005, Jing & Coley 1990, Obeso 2002, Tonnabel et al 2017. Nonetheless, female plants sometimes attract greater attention leading to greater damage (Avila-Sakar & Romanow 2012, Hemborg & Bond 2007, Romero-Pérez et al 2020, van Blerk et al 2017. Such patterns and their implications have practical as well as theoretical implications as the need to maintain two life histories means that dioecious species may be particularly vulnerable to rapid climate change and other threats (Hultine et al 2016, Petry et al 2016, Tognetti 2012.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex ratios, damage and distribution ofMyrianthus holstiiEngl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree

2023

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Male and female dioecious tropical trees are subjected to distinct demands that may influence their ecology. An example is Myrianthus holstii Engl. that produces persistent fruit eaten by elephants and other large mammals that frequently damage the trees. Myrianthus holstii populations were assessed with 24 2-km transects, spanning an elevation range of 1435–2495 m in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Of 1089 stems ≥ 5 cm diameter 449 were female, 383 were male and the rest were non-fertile. We also noted one apparently monoecious individual. Males produced flowers at smaller sizes than did females (minimum recorded diameters 5.5 cm and 6.8 cm, respectively). Both sexes had similar distributions, favouring moderately closed forest and mid-slope locations. Female trees were more frequently damaged and typically slightly shorter than males at large diameters. Seedling densities were positively associated with the presence of larger female trees. Our results are consistent with a life history where both sexes have similar requirements, but fruiting females experience a greater frequency of severe damage.

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Restio culm felling is a consequence of pre-dispersal seed predation by the rodent Rhabdomys pumilio in the Fynbos

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction

Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction

An update on the distribution and diversification of Rhabdomys sp. (Muridae, Rodentia)

Sex ratios, damage and distribution ofMyrianthus holstiiEngl.: a dioecious afromontane forest tree

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