How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain
Vertebrates are important seed dispersers for many plants. In addition to transport of seeds, ingestion often affects the proportion or rate of seed germination. We present one of the first studies comparing the effects of different waterbird species on the seeds of a subcosmopolitan pondweed, Potam...
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ftcsic:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/43049 2024-02-11T10:08:34+01:00 How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain Figuerola, Jordi Green, Andy J. 2002 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/43049 en eng Schweizerbart science publishers Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 150: 557-565 (2002). 0003-9136 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/43049 open Dispersal egg dispersal habitat colonisation seed dispersal artículo http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 2002 ftcsic 2024-01-16T09:34:55Z Vertebrates are important seed dispersers for many plants. In addition to transport of seeds, ingestion often affects the proportion or rate of seed germination. We present one of the first studies comparing the effects of different waterbird species on the seeds of a subcosmopolitan pondweed, Potamogeton pectinatus. We also present the first comparison of the effects of digestion by ducks (mallard Anas platyrhynchos, shoveler A. clypeata and wigeon A. penelope) and physical-chemical “simulation of digestion” on pondweed seed germination. In two experiments differing in the length of the preceding stratification period, two to three individuals per duck species were force-fed 150 seeds each. Average retrieval, total germination and germination rate did not differ significantly between duck species. Germination rate was higher for duck ingested seeds, intermediate for scarified seeds (i.e. after mechanical removal of the epicarp+mesocarp) and lowest for the controls and acid treated seeds, independently of the length of the stratification period. Total germination, however, did not differ significantly among duck-ingested, scarified, control and acid treated seeds. Consequently the changes in germination rate after ingestion by ducks seem related to the grinding treatment in the gut and unrelated to exposure to acidic conditions. The coexistence of ingested and uningested seeds within a given seed cohort will increase the diversification of seed germination patterns, which can favour the colonisation of habitats characterised by unpredictable environmental conditions. Peer reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Shoveler Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) |
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Open Polar |
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Digital.CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) |
op_collection_id |
ftcsic |
language |
English |
topic |
Dispersal egg dispersal habitat colonisation seed dispersal |
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Dispersal egg dispersal habitat colonisation seed dispersal Figuerola, Jordi Green, Andy J. How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain |
topic_facet |
Dispersal egg dispersal habitat colonisation seed dispersal |
description |
Vertebrates are important seed dispersers for many plants. In addition to transport of seeds, ingestion often affects the proportion or rate of seed germination. We present one of the first studies comparing the effects of different waterbird species on the seeds of a subcosmopolitan pondweed, Potamogeton pectinatus. We also present the first comparison of the effects of digestion by ducks (mallard Anas platyrhynchos, shoveler A. clypeata and wigeon A. penelope) and physical-chemical “simulation of digestion” on pondweed seed germination. In two experiments differing in the length of the preceding stratification period, two to three individuals per duck species were force-fed 150 seeds each. Average retrieval, total germination and germination rate did not differ significantly between duck species. Germination rate was higher for duck ingested seeds, intermediate for scarified seeds (i.e. after mechanical removal of the epicarp+mesocarp) and lowest for the controls and acid treated seeds, independently of the length of the stratification period. Total germination, however, did not differ significantly among duck-ingested, scarified, control and acid treated seeds. Consequently the changes in germination rate after ingestion by ducks seem related to the grinding treatment in the gut and unrelated to exposure to acidic conditions. The coexistence of ingested and uningested seeds within a given seed cohort will increase the diversification of seed germination patterns, which can favour the colonisation of habitats characterised by unpredictable environmental conditions. Peer reviewed |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Figuerola, Jordi Green, Andy J. |
author_facet |
Figuerola, Jordi Green, Andy J. |
author_sort |
Figuerola, Jordi |
title |
How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain |
title_short |
How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain |
title_full |
How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain |
title_fullStr |
How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain |
title_full_unstemmed |
How frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? A study in Doñana , SW Spain |
title_sort |
how frequent is external transport of seeds and invertebrate eggs by waterbirds? a study in doñana , sw spain |
publisher |
Schweizerbart science publishers |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/43049 |
genre |
Shoveler |
genre_facet |
Shoveler |
op_relation |
Archiv für Hydrobiologie, 150: 557-565 (2002). 0003-9136 http://hdl.handle.net/10261/43049 |
op_rights |
open |
_version_ |
1790607977665789952 |