Survival and germination of Mediterranean grassland species after simulated sheep ingestion: ecological correlates with seed traits

Peco, Begoña; López‐Merino, Lourdes; Alvir, M. R.

doi:10.1016/j.actao.2006.05.004

Cited by 50 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Gardener et al 1993;Bruun & Poschlod 2006), but not others (Cosyns et al 2005b;Mouissie et al 2005b;Peco et al 2006), and the same is true for seed shape. As noted in the introduction, however, cross-species analyses suffer problems which make comparison difficult.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…Former feeding trials in which mortality rates were related to seed characteristics yielded contrasting results. Smaller-seeded species tended to show lower mortality rates than larger-seeded species in the feeding trial of Mouissie et al (2005b), whereas the opposite was found by both Peco et al (2006) and Cosyns et al (2005b). For (their measures of) seed shape, a negative, neutral, and positive effect were found respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

“…This is, however, due to the extreme values in Juncus bufonius; further exclusion of this species renders the relationship back to non-significant. Peco et al (2006) found this species to have "highly water-impermeable seeds", thus making it functionally similar to the physically dormant species. Moreover, mortality rates are very likely to be the result of several traits acting together, which advocates a multivariate approach in analyses that aim at a full comprehension of the process.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A reassessment of the role of simple seed traits in mortality following herbivore ingestion

D’hondt

Hoffmann

2010

Plant Biology

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seed dispersal; endozoochory; zoochory; ungulates; foliage is the fruit; phylogenetically independent contrasts; hardseededness; physical dormancy ABSTRACTGrazing mammals are regarded as major vectors in seed dispersal of grassland plants through seed ingestion and subsequent excretion (endozoochory). The (evolutionary) ecology underlying this dispersal mode is understood relatively poorly as we have limited data, among others, on how seed attributes perform in this process (and could thus be selected for). Regarding mortality due to digestion, contrasting patterns found on the role of simple seed traits seem partly due to inadequate comparativeanalytical methods. We conducted a feeding experiment in which controlled seed quantities from a large number of grassland herbs and grasses were fed to cattle (48 species in total). Seed mass, length and shape measurements were related to mortality rates using phylogenetically independent contrasts, which account for taxonomical interdependence. The proportion of seeds surviving the digestive tract was generally low, but ranged up to 100 %, with increased germination for some species. Neither seed size nor shape correlated significantly with mortality. Structural traits are likely to overrule these simple seed traits, as illustrated by high survival rates of species that are characterized by water-impermeable seeds. As the latter trait holds some interesting properties with respect to intraspecific variation and genetics, it could open up perspectives for inference on any evolutionary consequences for this type of dispersal.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A reassessment of the role of simple seed traits in mortality following herbivore ingestion

D’hondt

Hoffmann

2010

Plant Biology

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“…Therefore, a simulated ingestion experiment was conducted so that there were enough seeds to accurately determine seed germination percentage (Peco et al, 2006). A permanent rumen fistula was made in the three sheep that were not used in the feeding experiment.…”

Section: Test Animals and Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recovery and germination of seeds after passage through the gut of Kazakh sheep on the north slope of the Tianshan Mountains

Wang

Waly

et al. 2017

Seed Sci. Res.

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Endozoochorous dispersal of seeds by livestock has long attracted the attention of grassland scientists. However, little is known about seed dispersal after ingestion by Kazakh sheep on dry grasslands in the Tianshan Mountains. The objective of this experiment was to learn more about the recovery and germinability of seeds from 17 plant species after either actual or simulated ingestion (i.e. insertion through a rumen fistula) by Kazakh sheep. The passage time of seeds through the sheep gut ranged from 12 to 96 h. More than 80% of all recovered seeds were defecated 24-48 h after ingestion. The mean retention time of seeds in the gut ranged from 27.3 to 42.2 h. Seed recovery percentage ranged between 12.6 and 17.6% for leguminous species and between 0.8 and 3.2% for gramineous species. Seed recovery percentage was positively correlated with seed mass, but negatively correlated with seed shape. The germination percentages of the gramineous species were greater in the non-ingested treatment (66-98%) than in the simulated ingestion treatment (3-10%). In contrast, for leguminous species, seed germination percentages were greater in the simulated ingestion treatment (23-70%) than in the non-ingested one (5-12%). Seed germination percentage after simulated ingestion was positively correlated with seed mass, but negatively correlated with seed shape. In conclusion, leguminous seeds were more likely than gramineous ones to pass through the gut of Kazakh sheep and then germinate. Free-ranging Kazakh sheep can contribute to the spread of plant species, especially leguminous species, in the Tianshan Mountains.

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“…This result is consistent with the evidence of a simple pulp deinhibition effect for D. fasciculosa and M. elengi. More rapid germination can be either beneficial or detrimental, depending on the ecological conditions pre- vailing in the habitat (Kelly et al 2004, Peco et al 2006). For D. fasciculosa, about 6 months of dormancy is necessary to ensure that germination occurs during the humid season, because fruit maturation peaks at the beginning of the dry season (C. Chambrey, unpubl.…”

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confidence: 99%

Can Ptilinopus greyii (Columbidae) Disperse Seeds in New Caledonia's Dry Forests?

2010

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Conservation of endangered habitats of South Pacific islands is partially dependent on activity of seed dispersers. In consuming fruits, animals can spread seeds from parent plants to distant sites, thus contributing to plant regeneration and colonization of new sites. In the dry forests of New Caledonia, the red-bellied fruit-dove, Ptilinopus greyii, is a potential disperser of many fleshyfruited species. Trials with a captive bird showed that gut passage enhanced seed germination for Diospyros fasciculosa and Mimusops elengi but not for Vitex cf. collina, compared with whole fruits. Gut passage did not shorten duration of seed dormancy, which is consistent with evidence of a simple deinhibition effect for D. fasciculosa and M. elengi. Minimum Retention Time (MRT) of seeds in the gut differed significantly between the three tree species, from a mean of 17.4 min for D. fasciculosa to a mean of 52.4 min for M. elengi. These times are longer than observed foraging times in fruiting trees, potentially making this fruit-dove an effective seed disperser.

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Survival and germination of Mediterranean grassland species after simulated sheep ingestion: ecological correlates with seed traits

Cited by 50 publications

References 24 publications

A reassessment of the role of simple seed traits in mortality following herbivore ingestion

A reassessment of the role of simple seed traits in mortality following herbivore ingestion

Recovery and germination of seeds after passage through the gut of Kazakh sheep on the north slope of the Tianshan Mountains

Can Ptilinopus greyii (Columbidae) Disperse Seeds in New Caledonia's Dry Forests?

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