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1.
Plant Biol (Stuttg) ; 22(2): 203-211, 2020 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31762113

ABSTRACT

Species vary in seed size and content of stored reserves, which can be related to dispersal strategies and type of habitat in which they are found. We compare seed carbon and nutrient reserves of anemochorous and zoochorous trees from the Cerrado of central Brazil. We measured seed dry mass, lipids, non-structural carbohydrates (starch and total soluble sugars), carbon and mineral nutrients in ten forest and 13 savanna species, each classified as having wind- or animal-dispersed seeds. We used phylogenetically independent contrasts to test for correlations among these traits. Seeds of anemochorous species were lighter, with higher concentrations of C, N, P, Ca and Mg. Lipids were the dominant carbon reserve for most anemochorous species, underpinning the importance of allocation to compact carbon reserves. Starch, lipids or soluble sugars were the major carbon reserve in zoochorous seeds. Savanna and forest species did not differ in seed mass or in total carbon reserves. However, seeds of forest species had higher concentrations of starch than seeds of savanna species. Lipid and starch negatively correlated across species, suggesting a trade-off between starch and lipids as major seed carbon reserves. Calcium was positively correlated with Mn and B, while Mg was positively correlated with C, N, P, K, S, Zn and B. Potassium, S and Cl were positively correlated, while P was positively correlated with Mg and Zn. Dispersal mode rather than vegetation type constrained seed mass and seed storage allocation patterns in forest and savanna trees. We provide evidence that similar mechanisms are involved in seed storage of carbon and mineral nutrients across species.


Subject(s)
Carbon , Forests , Grassland , Nutrients , Seeds , Trees , Animals , Brazil , Carbon/metabolism , Nutrients/metabolism , Resource Allocation , Seed Dispersal , Seeds/chemistry , Seeds/metabolism , Trees/physiology
2.
Am J Bot ; 104(9): 1323-1333, 2017 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29885233

ABSTRACT

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Seed-level trade-offs of heterocarpic species remain poorly understood. We propose that seedlings emerging from seeds with a permanent pappus (dispersing seeds) are stronger competitors than those emerging from seeds without a pappus (nondispersing seeds) because dispersing seeds are larger and germinate faster than nondispersing seeds in Centaurea solstitialis. METHODS: We conducted a competition experiment with both seed morphs, in which we recorded emergence rate and proportion, estimated seed dispersal by wind (anemochory) and by mammals (exozoochory), and measured size and abundance of seed morphs. KEY RESULTS: We found that seedlings from pappus seeds had greater competitive abilities than those from non-pappus seeds. Similarly, pappus seedlings emerged at much faster rates and larger proportions than non-pappus seedlings. Pappus seeds were larger, were more numerous, and displayed improved exozoochory compared to non-pappus seeds. Anemochory was poor for both seed morphs. CONCLUSIONS: We found support for our hypothesis, raising in turn the possibility that competition and colonization are positively associated in seed morphs of heterocarpic species with enhanced exozoochory of larger seeds. These findings are not consistent with those from heterocarpic species with enhanced anemochory of smaller seeds or slower-germinating seeds. Our results additionally suggest that pappus and non-pappus seeds of C. solstitialis display a task-division strategy in which pappus morphs colonize and preempt unoccupied sites through improved dispersal and fast and large emergence of seedlings with increased competitive abilities, whereas non-pappus morphs promote site persistence through delayed germination and dormancy. This strategy may contribute to the success of C. solstitialis in highly variable environments.


Subject(s)
Centaurea/physiology , Seed Dispersal , Seedlings/physiology , Seeds/physiology , Centaurea/anatomy & histology , Seeds/anatomy & histology
3.
Ecology ; 97(10): 2780-2790, 2016 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27859106

ABSTRACT

Contagious seed dispersal refers to the tendency for some sites to receive many dispersed seeds while other sites receive few dispersed seeds. Contagious dispersal can lead to interspecific associations in seed arrival, and this in turn might lead to interspecific associations in seedling recruitment. We evaluate the extent of spatially contagious seed arrival, the frequency of positive interspecific associations in seed arrival, and their consequences for seedling recruitment at the community level in a tropical moist forest. We quantified seed arrival to 200 passive seed traps for 28 yr of weekly censuses and seedling recruitment to 600 1-m2 quadrats for 21 yr of annual censuses on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We assessed whether spatially contagious seed dispersal was more important among zoochorous species than among anemochorous species, increased in importance with similarity in fruiting times, and led to interspecific associations in seed arrival and seedling recruitment. We controlled adult seed source associations statistically to evaluate predicted relationships. We found that spatially contagious seed arrival was widespread among zoochorous species, but also occurred among anemochorous species when the strong, consistent trade winds were present. Significant interspecific associations in seed arrival were more likely for pairs of species with zoochorous seeds and similar fruiting times and persisted through seedling recruitment. Thus, interspecifically contagious seed dispersal affects local species composition and alters the mixture of interspecific interactions through the seed, germination, and early seedling stages in this forest. Future investigations should consider the implications of interspecific association at the regeneration stages documented here for later life stages and species coexistence.


Subject(s)
Forests , Tropical Climate , Panama , Seedlings , Seeds , Trees
4.
Rev. biol. trop ; Rev. biol. trop;59(2): 921-933, jun. 2011. graf, tab
Article in English | LILACS | ID: lil-638130

ABSTRACT

Life history and recruitment information of tropical trees in natural populations is scarce even for important commercial species. This study focused on a widely exploited Neotropical canopy species, Pachiraquinata (Malvaceae), at the southernmost, wettest limit of its natural distribution, in the Colombian Amazonia. We studied phenological patterns, seed production and natural densities; assessed the importance of seed dispersal and density-dependent effects on recruitment, using field experiments. At this seasonal forest P. quinata was overrepresented by large adult trees and had very low recruitment caused by the combination of low fruit production, high seed predation and very high seedling mortality under continuous canopies mostly due to damping off pathogens. There was no evidence of negative distance or density effects on recruitment, but a clear requirement of canopy gaps for seedling survival and growth, where pathogen incidence was drastically reduced. In spite of the strong dependence on light for survival of seedlings, seeds germinated readily in the dark. At the study site, the population of P. quinata appeared to be declining, likely because recruitment depended on the rare combination of large gap formation with the presence of reproductive trees nearby. The recruitment biology of this species makes it very vulnerable to any type of logging in natural populations. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (2): 921-933. Epub 2011 June 01.


Información acerca de la historia de vida y reclutamiento de poblaciones naturales de árboles tropicales es escasa, incluso para especies de alto interés comercial. Este estudio se centró en una especie de dosel altamente explotada, Pachira quinata (Malvaceae), en la zona más húmeda de su distribución geográfica, en la Amazoní a colombiana. Estudiamos sus patrones fenológicos, producción de semillas y densidades naturales, además de la importancia de la dispersión de semillas y efectos denso-dependientes en el reclutamiento natural, todo lo anterior se logró con el uso de experimentos y observaciones en el campo. En este bosque estacional, la población de P. quinata estaba dominada por grandes árboles adultos y el reclutamiento era extremadamente bajo, como consecuencia de la baja producción de frutos, alta depredación de semillas y muy alta mortalidad de plántulas bajo el bosque por infección de patógenos. No encontramos evidencia de efectos de distancia al árbol parental o densidad de semillas en el reclutamiento, pero si hallamos un evidente requerimiento de claros de luz para la supervivencia y el crecimiento de plántulas, donde la mortalidad por patógenos se reduce drásticamente. Sin embargo, a pesar de la dependencia de la luz para la supervivencia, las semillas germinan en la oscuridad. En la zona de estudio, la población de P. quinata parece estar en claro declive, probablemente porque el reclutamiento depende de la coincidencia de la formación de grandes claros con la presencia cercana de árboles reproductivos. Los requerimientos de reclutamiento de esta especie la hacen muy vulnerable a cualquier actividad extractiva de árboles adultos en poblaciones naturales.


Subject(s)
Bombacaceae/growth & development , Seed Dispersal/physiology , Seedlings/physiology , Bombacaceae/classification , Colombia , Seasons
5.
Acta amaz ; Acta amaz;40(1): 141-150, mar. 2010. mapas, tab, graf
Article in Portuguese | LILACS, VETINDEX | ID: lil-546968

ABSTRACT

As adaptações das plantas, conforme seus agentes dispersores, correlacionam-se com as características morfológicas de cada espécie e família e com a região em que esta predomina, sendo que as sementes evoluíram de acordo com os dispersores. A dispersão de sementes mais freqüente em florestas tropicais é a zoocoria, daí a importância na conservação de corredores ecológicos, que possibilitam a disseminação de espécies de um fragmento para outro. Diante do fato, este trabalho teve por objetivo listar as principais síndromes de dispersão de sementes de espécies ocorrentes em trechos de Floresta Estacional Perenifólia Ribeirinha do rio das Pacas, Querência - MT, a fim de identificar o principal tipo de dispersão. As informações sobre as síndromes de dispersão foram coletadas em campo, juntamente com a amostragem da vegetação, a qual foi dividida em estratos de acordo com a altura dos indivíduos amostrados. Foram identificadas 69 espécies, pertencentes a 51 gêneros e 31 famílias botânicas. As famílias com maior riqueza foram Annonaceae e Fabaceae, a qual apresentou a maior diversificação de síndromes. A zoocoria foi a síndrome de maior expressividade, com 86 por cento do total de espécies, seguida da anemocoria (10 por cento), autocoria (3 por cento) e barocoria (1 por cento). O estrato inferior (sub-bosque) e intermediário (dossel) possui maior porcentagem de espécies zoocóricas do que no estrato superior (emergente), onde a anemocoria foi mais importante. Estes resultados evidenciam a forte relação entre a vegetação e a fauna na manutenção das populações de plantas no ambiente ciliar, bem como a importância de se manter corredores ecológicos entre os fragmentos florestais.


The adaptations of plants, as its agents dispersers correlated with the morphological characteristics of each specie and family, and with the region in which it dominates, and the seeds progressed according to the dispersors. The zoochory is the most frequent seed dispersal in the tropical forest, hence the importance in the conservation of ecological corridors, which allowed the spread of species of a fragment to another. Given the fact, this study aimed to trace the major processes of the seed dispersal of species occurring in the Riparian Evergreen Seasonal Forest areas of the Pacas river, Querência - MT, to identify the main dispersal type. The informations on dispersal syndromes were collected in the field during the sampling the vegetation, wich was divided in strata, according to the eight of the individuals sampled. We identified 69 species, belonged 51 genera and 31 botanic families. The families with the greatest richness were Annonaceae and Fabaceae, which showed the greatest variety syndromes. The zoochory were syndrome the more important, with 86 percent the total species, followed by anemochory (10 percent), autochory (3 percent) and barochory (1 percent). The lower (understory) and intermediate (canopy) strata have percentage zoochoric species higher than upper stratum (emergente), where the anemochory was the more important. These results demonstrate the strong relationship between the vegetation and animals in the maintenance of plant populations in the riparian environment and the importance of maintaining ecological corridors between forest fragments.


Subject(s)
Annonaceae , Seed Dispersal , Fabaceae , Seeds , Brazil , Forests
6.
Acta amaz. ; 40(1)2010.
Article in Portuguese | VETINDEX | ID: vti-450555

ABSTRACT

The adaptations of plants, as its agents dispersers correlated with the morphological characteristics of each specie and family, and with the region in which it dominates, and the seeds progressed according to the dispersors. The zoochory is the most frequent seed dispersal in the tropical forest, hence the importance in the conservation of ecological corridors, which allowed the spread of species of a fragment to another. Given the fact, this study aimed to trace the major processes of the seed dispersal of species occurring in the Riparian Evergreen Seasonal Forest areas of the Pacas river, Querência - MT, to identify the main dispersal type. The informations on dispersal syndromes were collected in the field during the sampling the vegetation, wich was divided in strata, according to the eight of the individuals sampled. We identified 69 species, belonged 51 genera and 31 botanic families. The families with the greatest richness were Annonaceae and Fabaceae, which showed the greatest variety syndromes. The zoochory were syndrome the more important, with 86% the total species, followed by anemochory (10%), autochory (3%) and barochory (1%). The lower (understory) and intermediate (canopy) strata have percentage zoochoric species higher than upper stratum (emergente), where the anemochory was the more important. These results demonstrate the strong relationship between the vegetation and animals in the maintenance of plant populations in the riparian environment and the importance of maintaining ecological corridors between forest fragments.


As adaptações das plantas, conforme seus agentes dispersores, correlacionam-se com as características morfológicas de cada espécie e família e com a região em que esta predomina, sendo que as sementes evoluíram de acordo com os dispersores. A dispersão de sementes mais freqüente em florestas tropicais é a zoocoria, daí a importância na conservação de corredores ecológicos, que possibilitam a disseminação de espécies de um fragmento para outro. Diante do fato, este trabalho teve por objetivo listar as principais síndromes de dispersão de sementes de espécies ocorrentes em trechos de Floresta Estacional Perenifólia Ribeirinha do rio das Pacas, Querência - MT, a fim de identificar o principal tipo de dispersão. As informações sobre as síndromes de dispersão foram coletadas em campo, juntamente com a amostragem da vegetação, a qual foi dividida em estratos de acordo com a altura dos indivíduos amostrados. Foram identificadas 69 espécies, pertencentes a 51 gêneros e 31 famílias botânicas. As famílias com maior riqueza foram Annonaceae e Fabaceae, a qual apresentou a maior diversificação de síndromes. A zoocoria foi a síndrome de maior expressividade, com 86% do total de espécies, seguida da anemocoria (10%), autocoria (3%) e barocoria (1%). O estrato inferior (sub-bosque) e intermediário (dossel) possui maior porcentagem de espécies zoocóricas do que no estrato superior (emergente), onde a anemocoria foi mais importante. Estes resultados evidenciam a forte relação entre a vegetação e a fauna na manutenção das populações de plantas no ambiente ciliar, bem como a importância de se manter corredores ecológicos entre os fragmentos florestais.

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