Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment
Seed dispersal is an essential process contributing to the maintenance of plant populations. Zoochory is a widespread way of plant dispersal in every terrestrial ecosystem that can ensure the long-distance dispersal of seeds. Secondary seed dispersal (SSD) by far-ranging raptors is a special type of...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02519 https://doaj.org/article/a94b25cbbfb549d3bb6c4c5e21f18a55 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:a94b25cbbfb549d3bb6c4c5e21f18a55 2023-06-11T04:14:02+02:00 Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment Laura Godó Sándor Borza Orsolya Valkó Zoltán Rádai Balázs Deák 2023-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02519 https://doaj.org/article/a94b25cbbfb549d3bb6c4c5e21f18a55 EN eng Elsevier http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423001543 https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02519 https://doaj.org/article/a94b25cbbfb549d3bb6c4c5e21f18a55 Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 45, Iss , Pp e02519- (2023) Barn owl Endozoochory Farmland birds Nocturnal raptor Pellet Rodent Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02519 2023-05-28T00:32:33Z Seed dispersal is an essential process contributing to the maintenance of plant populations. Zoochory is a widespread way of plant dispersal in every terrestrial ecosystem that can ensure the long-distance dispersal of seeds. Secondary seed dispersal (SSD) by far-ranging raptors is a special type of zoochory, which might have a role in colonizing new habitats. We used the barn owl (Tyto alba) as model species to test the effectivity and seasonality of SSD in open semi-natural landscapes. We collected 582 pellets from six sites in East-Hungary throughout one year. We identified prey items in the pellets and determined the viable seed content of the pellets by germination experiments. We found that herbivorous Microtus arvalis L. was the most abundant prey item through which most of the seeds spread. Owls dispersed the seeds of generalist and disturbance-tolerant plants, indicating the habitat type where small mammals occur abundantly. In another experiment we tested the effect of the pellet material on the seedling survival and found that prey remains enhanced establishment of seedlings. Our study suggests that SSD by barn owl is occasional but important event in long-distance seed dispersal. Since the studied owl species uses several habitat types and has larger mobility than the rodents, the revealed dispersal mechanism can considerably increase seed dispersal distance and seed exchange between habitat types. Article in Journal/Newspaper Microtus arvalis Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Global Ecology and Conservation 45 e02519 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Barn owl Endozoochory Farmland birds Nocturnal raptor Pellet Rodent Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
Barn owl Endozoochory Farmland birds Nocturnal raptor Pellet Rodent Ecology QH540-549.5 Laura Godó Sándor Borza Orsolya Valkó Zoltán Rádai Balázs Deák Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment |
topic_facet |
Barn owl Endozoochory Farmland birds Nocturnal raptor Pellet Rodent Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
Seed dispersal is an essential process contributing to the maintenance of plant populations. Zoochory is a widespread way of plant dispersal in every terrestrial ecosystem that can ensure the long-distance dispersal of seeds. Secondary seed dispersal (SSD) by far-ranging raptors is a special type of zoochory, which might have a role in colonizing new habitats. We used the barn owl (Tyto alba) as model species to test the effectivity and seasonality of SSD in open semi-natural landscapes. We collected 582 pellets from six sites in East-Hungary throughout one year. We identified prey items in the pellets and determined the viable seed content of the pellets by germination experiments. We found that herbivorous Microtus arvalis L. was the most abundant prey item through which most of the seeds spread. Owls dispersed the seeds of generalist and disturbance-tolerant plants, indicating the habitat type where small mammals occur abundantly. In another experiment we tested the effect of the pellet material on the seedling survival and found that prey remains enhanced establishment of seedlings. Our study suggests that SSD by barn owl is occasional but important event in long-distance seed dispersal. Since the studied owl species uses several habitat types and has larger mobility than the rodents, the revealed dispersal mechanism can considerably increase seed dispersal distance and seed exchange between habitat types. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Laura Godó Sándor Borza Orsolya Valkó Zoltán Rádai Balázs Deák |
author_facet |
Laura Godó Sándor Borza Orsolya Valkó Zoltán Rádai Balázs Deák |
author_sort |
Laura Godó |
title |
Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment |
title_short |
Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment |
title_full |
Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment |
title_fullStr |
Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment |
title_full_unstemmed |
Owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment |
title_sort |
owl-mediated diploendozoochorous seed dispersal increases dispersal distance and supports seedling establishment |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02519 https://doaj.org/article/a94b25cbbfb549d3bb6c4c5e21f18a55 |
genre |
Microtus arvalis |
genre_facet |
Microtus arvalis |
op_source |
Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 45, Iss , Pp e02519- (2023) |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423001543 https://doaj.org/toc/2351-9894 2351-9894 doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02519 https://doaj.org/article/a94b25cbbfb549d3bb6c4c5e21f18a55 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02519 |
container_title |
Global Ecology and Conservation |
container_volume |
45 |
container_start_page |
e02519 |
_version_ |
1768391550976393216 |