Temporal dynamics of seed excretion by wild ungulates: implications for plant dispersal

Picard, Mélanie; Papaïx, Julien; Gosselin, Frédéric; Picot, D.; Bideau, Éric; Baltzinger, Christophe

doi:10.1002/ece3.1512

Cited by 30 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These values are greater than those of rabbit and equid species (30-31 h), roe deer (18-36 h), and red deer (3-36 h) (Picard et al, 2015). The MRT of ingested seeds in this study varied depending on plant species; however, the results indicate that the time span was long enough to result in seed dispersal in the grassland.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

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.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 65%

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.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…size, or in this case seed size (e.g., Clauss et al, 2009). However, most of these studies refer to retention time before defecation (e.g., Picard et al, 2015), while references to retention time at the rumen are scarce. Estimations about the time elapsed from fruit ingestion to seed regurgitation from the cud go from scarcely 35 min for a young roe deer eating cherries to ten days for a red deer eating hawthorn pomes, but typically range between 3 h and 2 days ( Table 4).…”

Section: Rumen Retention Time and Dispersal Distancementioning

confidence: 99%

Spitting Seeds From the Cud: A Review of an Endozoochory Exclusive to Ruminants

2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Given their strong masticatory system and the powerful microbial digestion inside their complex guts, mammalian ruminants have been frequently considered seed predators rather than seed dispersers. A number of studies, however, have observed that ruminants are able to transport many viable seeds long distances, either attached to the hair or hooves (i.e., epizoochory) or inside their body after ingesting them (i.e., endozoochory). However, very few studies have investigated a modality of endozoochory exclusive to ruminants: the spitting of usually large-sized seeds while chewing the cud. A systematic review of the published information about this type of endozoochory shows a marked scarcity of studies. Nonetheless, at least 48 plant species belonging to 21 families are dispersed by ruminants in this manner. Most of these plants are shrubs and trees, have fleshy or dry fruits with large-sized seeds, and are seldom dispersed via defecation. Many cases have been observed in tropical areas, where more frugivorous ruminant species occur, but other records are from temperate and dry areas, covering thus all continents except Antarctica. Twenty-one species of ruminants from 18 genera have been reported as endozoochore spitters. They involve domestic and wild species belonging to the families Tragulidae, Cervidae, and Bovidae. This suggests that almost any ruminant species could potentially eat fruits and regurgitate large hard seeds during rumination. Likely, this seed dispersal mechanism has been neglected due to the difficulty of observing rumination behavior and locating spat seeds. Further research on the potential of wild and domestic ruminant species as long-distance seed dispersers through spitting seeds from the cud appears particularly important given their increasing pervasiveness and abundance worldwide.

show abstract

“…The colour and release height of fruits (or achenes) as well as animal habitat and feeding preferences influence the probability of seeds being swallowed (Picard et al 2015). Moreover, characteristics such as mass and shape affect seed viability and germination capacity after passage through the digestive tract.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Small seeds are more likely than large seeds to survive passage through the digestive tract (Soons et al 2008;Brochet et al 2010), since they are less likely to be damaged during chewing (Manzano et al 2005). Seed shape also influences the passage time through the digestive tract (Picard et al 2015). Spherical seeds pass the digestive tract more quickly than flatter or elongated seeds, and have a higher germination rate after recovery (Whitacre and Call 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of grazing season and stocking rate on seed bank in sheep dung on the semiarid Loess Plateau

Zhang

Hou

2019

Rangel. J.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Endozoochorous dispersal of seeds by livestock has long attracted the attention of grassland scientists, but little is known about seed dispersal via Tan sheep dung on the dry grasslands of the Loess Plateau. We investigated the composition of dung seed bank of Tan sheep under summer and winter rotational grazing regimes at different stocking rates (2.7, 5.3 and 8.7 sheep ha -1 ), and assessed the relationships between seed mass and shape, egested seedling density and species richness and diversity. We also assessed the effects of stocking rate and grazing season on seedling density and species richness and diversity of the dung seed bank. Seeds of 10 pasture species germinated from Tan sheep dung with only two being annual species (Eragrostis pilosa and Chenopodium glaucum). The mean seed mass (AEs.e.) was 2.59 AE 0.23 mg, ranging from 0.10 mg (Cleistogenes songorica) to 10.59 mg (Thermopsis lanceolata), and the mean seed shape index (AEs.e.) was 0.10 AE 0.02, ranging from 0.03 (Lespedeza bicolor) to 0.19 (Stipa bungeana). Species richness and diversity and seedling density decreased with increasing seed mass and shape index, suggesting that small, round seeds are most suitable for endozoochorous dispersal. Stocking rate had no effect on the number of germinated seeds that collected from summer or winter grazing pastures. Species richness and diversity and seedling density were greater in winter grazing pastures than in summer grazing pastures. Jaccard coefficients of similarity between the Tan sheep dung bank and aboveground vegetation were ,0.5 for all stocking rates, indicating their weak relationship, but were significantly higher for winter than summer grazing. Plant seeds on the Loess Plateau could disperse through Tan sheep grazing, endozoochory can increase the heterogeneity of rotationally grazed plant communities, and this dispersal mode is an adaptation of plants to the harsh environment of the semiarid areas.

show abstract

Temporal dynamics of seed excretion by wild ungulates: implications for plant dispersal

Cited by 30 publications

References 45 publications

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

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

Spitting Seeds From the Cud: A Review of an Endozoochory Exclusive to Ruminants

Effects of grazing season and stocking rate on seed bank in sheep dung on the semiarid Loess Plateau

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About