Seed Dispersal Distances and Plant Migration Potential in Tropical East Asia

Corlett, Richard T.

doi:10.1111/j.1744-7429.2009.00503.x

Cited by 161 publications

(139 citation statements)

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“…For the adult trees, rates of compositional change and thermophilization were decreased in plots with greater relative abundances of species with dispersal modes limited to shorter-distance dispersal events (i.e., ballistic dispersal, gravity dispersal, hydrochory, and myrmecochory), even when these dispersal modes were quite rare overall. This finding makes intuitive sense, as we expect species with short-distance dispersal modes to be slower migraters (12,13), and thus their occurrence may act to stabilize species composition through time. In line with the above result, the plots that had greater relative abundances of wind-or animal-dispersed species exhibited faster TMRs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One factor that determines the velocity at which plant species can move through space, and hence migrate, is seed dispersal (11)(12)(13). Although most tree species in wet tropical forests are animal-dispersed (14,15), differences in the relative abundances of species with different dispersal modes could greatly affect the responses of forest communities to climate change.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Thermophilization of adult and juvenile tree communities in the northern tropical Andes

Duque

Stevenson

Feeley

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

132

121

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Climate change is expected to cause shifts in the composition of tropical montane forests towards increased relative abundances of species whose ranges were previously centered at lower, hotter elevations. To investigate this process of "thermophilization," we analyzed patterns of compositional change over the last decade using recensus data from a network of 16 adult and juvenile tree plots in the tropical forests of northern Andes Mountains and adjacent lowlands in northwestern Colombia. Analyses show evidence that tree species composition is strongly linked to temperature and that composition is changing directionally through time, potentially in response to climate change and increasing temperatures. Mean rates of thermophilization [thermal migration rate (TMR),°C·y −1 ] across all censuses were 0.011°C·y −1 (95% confidence interval = 0.002-0.022°C·y −1 ) for adult trees and 0.027°C·y −1 (95% confidence interval = 0.009-0.050°C·y −1 ) for juvenile trees. The fact that thermophilization is occurring in both the adult and juvenile trees and at rates consistent with concurrent warming supports the hypothesis that the observed compositional changes are part of a long-term process, such as global warming, and are not a response to any single episodic event. The observed changes in composition were driven primarily by patterns of tree mortality, indicating that the changes in composition are mostly via range retractions, rather than range shifts or expansions. These results all indicate that tropical forests are being strongly affected by climate change and suggest that many species will be at elevated risk for extinction as warming continues.climate change | conservation biogeography | dispersal modes | species migrations | thermal niches G lobal warming is causing poleward and upward changes in the distributions of many species (1-4). Studies from tropical forests are extremely sparse (1, 5), but the available evidence suggests that many tropical plant species are "migrating" upward (6-8). Accordingly, the composition of tropical montane forests is changing toward increased relative abundances of species whose ranges were previously centered at lower, hotter elevations (6, 8). However, this process of "thermophilization" (9) is generally occurring at velocities slower than concurrent regional temperature increases (6,8). Furthermore, in at least one tropical site (Volcan Barva, Costa Rica), the observed shifts in tree species composition were mostly a result of increased mortality of species with ranges centered at higher, cooler elevations (8), indicating that species migrations and associated compositional shifts are occurring mostly via range retractions (1). If generalizable, these findings indicate that many tropical tree species have at best a poor capacity to persist under rapidly rising temperatures, suggesting a high risk for species loss in these systems (10).One factor that determines the velocity at which plant species can move through space, and hence migrate, is seed dispersal (11-13). Although mos...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thermophilization of adult and juvenile tree communities in the northern tropical Andes

Duque

Stevenson

Feeley

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

132

121

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“…Orangutans are the largest arboreal frugivores and eat fruits of many different types, including the biggest species available. Their ability to move large seeds over long distances (>1 km) is shared with only a few other large-bodied frugivores (Corlett 2009b).…”

Section: Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some studies suggest that they consume less fruit and fewer species than their African relatives, but fruits from 29 species were recorded by mahouts in Myanmar as eaten by work elephants (Campos-Arceiz et al 2008a), and potential seed dispersal distances are very large (<6 km, Campos-Arceiz et al 2008b). Rhinoceroses also eat large fruits and can potentially move >10 km within plausible gut-passage times (Corlett 2009b). Tapirs have a similar potential.…”

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confidence: 99%

Altered Ecologies: Fire, climate and human influence on terrestrial landscapes: Terra Australis 32

Haberle¹,

Stevenson²,

Prebble³

2010

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terra australis 32Terra Australis reports the results of archaeological and related research within the south and east of Asia, though mainly Australia, New Guinea and island Melanesia -lands that remained terra australis incognita to generations of prehistorians. Its subject is the settlement of the diverse environments in this isolated quarter of the globe by peoples who have maintained their discrete and traditional ways of life into the recent recorded or remembered past and at times into the observable present.Since the beginning of the series, the basic colour on the spine and cover has distinguished the regional distribution of topics as follows: ochre for Australia, green for New Guinea, red for South-East Asia and blue for the Pacific Islands. From 2001, issues with a gold spine will include conference proceedings, edited papers and monographs which in topic or desired format do not fit easily within the original arrangements. All volumes are numbered within the same series. Copyright of the text remains with the contributors/authors, 2009. This book is copyright in all countries subscribing to the Berne convention. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. Inquiries should be made to the publisher. Among saltbush greyer than seaweed we boardwalk the yeasting waves of the old golden-perch pond. List of volumes in Terra AustralisRabbit dung dots a lake bottom dry since their coming -only once, last century, after seven inches of rain a farmer had to rescue his sheep by boat.The roo bounces down-slope, a brown branch crackling.The professor's eye, noting the local runoff and what the westerlies do, observes seas that rush in and out of a continent's middle, salt lakes spreading and emptying, hills pimpling up and down with cartoon-like speed, or gullying themselves into extinction, rainforests and deserts zipping back and forth like Tom and Jerry. A human mouse plague swiftly swarms, perhaps soon gone.Impermanent planet. Impermanent surface. All under air and water. The lunette is a wave, a dumper of sand, a collapsing tower in the mad rabbit years when its top blew off and old bones winked through, with a vault's worth of fine stone cores.Once so simply mislaid in sand, now so obligingly sluiced out to the un-subincised world that smiles at stone knives. terra australis 32Altered Ecologies: Fire, climate and human influence on terrestrial landscapes v You might as well offer your table knife to a carpenter.Cane grass and the Dreamtime's stone fight the eroding rivulets together. In today's rare downpour each lost core, or blunted scraper crowns some tiny eroding hillock, plops its anchor in the dissolving silts.The bettong whose skin took off the stone tool's edge has vanished -sacrifice to future fertility.Through the softening soil Homo sapiens's skeleton bumps up like a carp's back.Waits for the wind to shave it off in pieces.A D-section and a ti...

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“…In particular, forest regeneration will depend on the availability of animals to act as seed dispersers. The role of larger animals in seed dispersal is especially important since they are often the only agent by which large-seeded trees can effectively disperse [6][7], and they also tend to undertake longer distance movements [8]. This is especially important for late successional shade-tolerant trees which might otherwise be excluded from recolonising disturbed sites in the absence of seed dispersers [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Availability of Large Seed-Dispersers for Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest

Lindsell

Lee

Powell

et al. 2015

Tropical Conservation Science

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An estimated 63% of Southeast Asian forests are classed as disturbed and secondary as a result of human activity. Many of these forests remain important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services so there is much interest in their capacity for restoration. The role of larger animals as seed dispersers in natural regeneration is wellattested since they are often the only agent by which large-seeded trees can effectively disperse. This is especially important for late successional shade-tolerant species which might otherwise be excluded from disturbed sites. However, many larger animals are sensitive to habitat degradation so may be lost from the very areas that require them. We investigated the persistence of a suite of large mammals that are known seed-dispersers and are also threatened species, in a degraded site in lowland south-central Sumatra. We used camera traps and field observations to relate their distributions to prevailing vegetation conditions. Although most species were more frequently detected in the more intact areas, most were able to occupy habitats with high levels of disturbance and population densities were relatively high. It is clear that severe habitat degradation does not necessarily lead to the immediate loss of large-bodied seed dispersers, so ensuring adequate protection for these species from external threats, such as hunting, must be built into management plans for restoration concessions.

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Seed Dispersal Distances and Plant Migration Potential in Tropical East Asia

Cited by 161 publications

References 77 publications

Thermophilization of adult and juvenile tree communities in the northern tropical Andes

Thermophilization of adult and juvenile tree communities in the northern tropical Andes

Altered Ecologies: Fire, climate and human influence on terrestrial landscapes: Terra Australis 32

Availability of Large Seed-Dispersers for Restoration of Degraded Tropical Forest

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