The Effects of Emus (Dromaius Novaehollandiae Latham) on the Distribution of the Nitre Bush (Nitraria Billardieri DC.)

Noble, J. C.

doi:10.2307/2258615

Cited by 59 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The eects of bird ingestion for seeds vary with the plant species (Krefting and Roe 1949;Glyphis et al 1981;Holthuijzen and Sharik 1985;Lieberman and Lieberman 1986). There are only a few examples of plant species whose seeds apparently fail to germinate without ingestion (Noble 1975;Temple 1977).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of bird ingestion on seed germination of Sorbus commixta

1998

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To determine the effects of ingestion by birds on seed germination, we performed germination experiments in the field and laboratory with Sorbus commixta. The germination of four groups of seeds was compared: ingested seeds, seeds defecated in feces after feeding of fruits to birds; extracted seeds, seeds deliberately extracted from the fruit pulp; juiced seeds, seeds plus the juice of the pulp after seeds had been deliberately extracted from the pulp; intact seeds, seeds in untreated intact fruits. In the laboratory, intact and juiced seeds hardly germinated, but ingested and extracted seeds germinated. Thus, the pulp and its juice appeared to inhibit germination, but seeds could germinate without ingestion by birds once the seeds had been manually extracted from the pulp. In the field, intact fruits did not germinate in the first spring, because the seed was still covered with pulp. The pulp of intact seeds decomposed during the first summer, and thus, the seeds had the potential to germinate during the second spring. In fact, most intact seeds do not germinate during the second spring either, since they lose their viability during the first summer. Thus, under natural conditions, most seeds of Sorbus commixta cannot germinate without bird ingestion.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of bird ingestion on seed germination of Sorbus commixta

1998

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“…The Emu's generalist diet (Dunstan et al 2013) makes it an ideal general seed disperser, and likely contributes to the demography of many species. Although the outcome of seed passage is equivocal for fruits consumed by many ratites, with some species benefiting from ingestion while others suffer reduced seed viability, the sheer volume of material consumed makes these large birds very important for seed dispersal (Noble 1975;Bradford and Westcott 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To generate such kernels for frugivore dispersal, a general model of dispersal needs to be constructed, which requires either empirical or mechanistic understanding of seed load, gut retention times and displacement velocity (movement) (Nathan et al 2008;Tsoar et al 2011). These important elements, as they relate to the Emu, have been dealt with in some complexity and detail in the literature: the diet of the Emu has been extensively studied, and the ability of the Emu to consume large amounts and variety of seed material is well known (Noble 1975;Davies 1978;Quin 1996;Davies 2002;Dunstan et al 2013). The Emu can deposit large quantities of seed in a single scat (~1220 medium-sized seeds, primarily from the Ericaceae, per 100 g of scat material: A. Nield, unpubl.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of seed dispersal by Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) in the Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests of south-western Australia through satellite telemetry

Nield

Enright

Ladd

2015

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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Global positioning system (GPS) technology for tracking wildlife continues to evolve at a remarkable pace. As animal movement is increasingly recognised as being critical for several ecological processes, advanced telemetry technology permits collection of a high volume of data across short time intervals that was previously unobtainable. Here we describe the use of GPS telemetry to track the movements of five tagged Emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae Latham) released within the Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Sm.) forests of south-western Australia. The Emu plays a significant role as a seed disperser for many species. Describing the movement patterns of this species is a key requirement in refining the extent and significance of its contribution to seed dispersal, both locally and over long distances. We found that Emus followed a typical correlated random walk pattern and that each bird demonstrated a variable response to the landscape in terms of behaviour, extent of movement and habitat selection. From a methodological perspective, 50% of our devices detached before 30 days of GPS locations could be collected, reflecting a need for device refinement for future studies on large ratites. Nevertheless, our preliminary data provide useful insights into the movements of the Emu and potential impacts on seed dispersal within the Jarrah forests.

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“…The cassowary, an obligate frugivore, eats fruit from over 100 different species (Romer 1997), and plays a critical ecological role by dispersing seeds in the rainforest (Pratt 1982;Stocker & Irvine 1983;Mack 1995;Wright 1998;Webber & Woodrow 2004). Similarly, emus help to maintain the genetic mix in plant communities by distributing seeds (Rogers et al 1993;McGrath & Bass 1999), and they probably increase germination of seeds during passage through their digestive system (Noble 1975). Ratites also have longstanding relationships with humans, and have been a source of fascination since earliest times.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current conservation status of Ratites

Sales¹

2009

J.Threat.Taxa

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The Effects of Emus (Dromaius Novaehollandiae Latham) on the Distribution of the Nitre Bush (Nitraria Billardieri DC.)

Cited by 59 publications

References 8 publications

Effects of bird ingestion on seed germination of Sorbus commixta

Effects of bird ingestion on seed germination of Sorbus commixta

Study of seed dispersal by Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) in the Jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forests of south-western Australia through satellite telemetry

Current conservation status of Ratites

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