Are gastropods, rather than ants, important dispersers of seeds of myrmecochorous forest herbs?

Natural History Note

authored by: Manfred Türke, Kerstin Andreas, Martin M. Gossner, Esther Kowalski, Markus Lange, Steffen Boch, Stephanie A. Socher, Jörg Müller, Daniel Prati, Markus Fischer, Rainer Meyhöfer, Wolfgang W. Weisser
Abstract: Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) is widespread, and seed adaptations to myrmecochory are common, especially in the form of fatty appendices (elaiosomes). In a recent study, slugs were identified as seed dispersers of myrmecochores in a central European beech forest. Here we used 105 beech forest sites to test whether myrmecochore presence and abundance is related to ant or gastropod abundance and whether experimentally exposed seeds are removed by gastropods. Myrmecochorous plant cover was positively related to gastropod abundance but was negatively related to ant abundance. Gastropods were responsible for most seed removal and elaiosome damage, whereas insects (and rodents) played minor roles. These gastropod effects on seeds were independent of region or forest management. We suggest that terrestrial gastropods can generally act as seed dispersers of myrmecochorous plants and even substitute myrmecochory, especially where ants are absent or uncommon.
Organisation(s): Phytomedicine Section
External Organisation(s): Friedrich Schiller University Jena
Technical University of Munich (TUM)
University of Bern
University of Potsdam
Type: Article
Journal: American Naturalist
Volume: 179
Pages: 124-131
No. of pages: 8
ISSN: 0003-0147
Publication date: 01.2012
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 15 - Life on Land
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.1086/663195 (Access: Unknown)