1
|
Pan SH, Sun YH, Tzeng HY, Rodriguez LJ, Bain A. First Evidence of Thalassochory in the Ficus Genus: Seed Dispersal Using the Kuroshio Oceanic Current. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 13:1398. [PMID: 38794468 PMCID: PMC11125363 DOI: 10.3390/plants13101398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
AIM Plants distributed between southern Taiwan and the north of the Philippines are spread among numerous small islands in an area crossed by the powerful Kuroshio current. Oceanic currents can be effective seed-dispersal agents for coastal plant species. Moreover, the Luzon Strait is an area prone to tropical cyclones. The aim of this study is to look at the dispersal capability of an endangered coastal plant species, the Mearns fig (Ficus pedunculosa var. mearnsii), using both experimental and population genetics methods. LOCATION Southern Taiwan, the Philippines, and the islands between Luzon and Taiwan Island. METHODS This study combined two types of analysis, i.e., buoyancy experiments on syconia and double digest restriction-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD), to analyze the population genetics of the Mearns fig. RESULTS We first discovered that mature Mearns fig syconia could float in seawater. They have a mean float duration of 10 days to a maximum of 21 days. Germination rates varied significantly between Mearns fig seeds that had undergone different durations of flotation treatment. Population genetic analysis shows a high degree of inbreeding among various Mearns fig populations. Moreover, no isolation by distance was found between the populations and individuals. MAIN CONCLUSIONS From our analysis of the genetic structure of the Mearns fig populations, we can clearly highlight the effect of the Kuroshio oceanic current on the seed dispersal of this fig tree. Comprehensive analysis has shown that Mearns fig seeds are still viable before the mature syconium sinks into the seawater, and so they could use the Kuroshio Current to float to the current population locations in Taiwan.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shin-Hung Pan
- Department of Forestry, National Chung-Hsing University, 250 Kuokwang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Hsuan Sun
- Department of Forestry, National Chung-Hsing University, 250 Kuokwang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Hsy-Yu Tzeng
- Department of Forestry, National Chung-Hsing University, 250 Kuokwang Road, Taichung 40227, Taiwan
| | - Lillian Jennifer Rodriguez
- Institute of Biology, National Science Complex, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101, Philippines
| | - Anthony Bain
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-Sen University, 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
- International Ph.D. Program for Science, National Sun Yat-Sen University, 70 Lienhai Rd., Kaohsiung 80424, Taiwan
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Arnette SD, Simonitis LE, Egan JP, Cohen KE, Kolmann MA. True grit? Comparative anatomy and evolution of gizzards in fishes. J Anat 2024; 244:260-273. [PMID: 37770122 PMCID: PMC10780153 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Gut morphology frequently reflects the food organisms digest. Gizzards are organs of the gut found in archosaurs and fishes that mechanically reduce food to aid digestion. Gizzards are thought to compensate for edentulism and/or provide an advantage when consuming small, tough food items (e.g., phytoplankton and algae). It is unknown how widespread gizzards are in fishes and how similar these structures are among different lineages. Here, we investigate the distribution of gizzards across bony fishes to (1) survey different fishes for gizzard presence, (2) compare the histological structure of gizzards in three species, (3) estimate how often gizzards have evolved in fishes, and (4) explore whether anatomical and ecological traits like edentulism and microphagy predict gizzard presence. According to our analyses, gizzards are rare across bony fishes, evolving only six times in a broad taxonomic sampling of 51 species, and gizzard presence is not clearly correlated with factors like gut length or dentition. We find that gizzard morphology varies among the lineages where one is present, both macroscopically (presence of a crop) and microscopically (varying tissue types). We conclude that gizzards likely aid in the mechanical reduction of food in fishes that have lost an oral dentition in their evolutionary past; however, the relative scarcity of gizzards suggests they are just one of many possible solutions for processing tough, nutrient-poor food items. Gizzards have long been present in the evolutionary history of fishes, can be found in a wide variety of marine and freshwater clades, and likely have been overlooked in many taxa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S D Arnette
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington, USA
| | - L E Simonitis
- Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington, Friday Harbor, Washington, USA
- Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Florida, USA
| | - J P Egan
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA
- Bell Museum of Natural History, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - K E Cohen
- University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - M A Kolmann
- Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Swanson AC, Kaplan D, Toh KB, Marques EE, Bohlman SA. Changes in floodplain hydrology following serial damming of the Tocantins River in the eastern Amazon. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 800:149494. [PMID: 34391162 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 07/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Riparian forests are ecotones that link aquatic and terrestrial habitats, providing ecosystem services including sediment control and nutrient regulation. Riparian forest function is intimately linked to river hydrology and floodplain dynamics, which can be severely altered by dams. The Tocantins River in the eastern Amazon has six mega-dams along its course. To understand the large-scale and cumulative impacts of multiple dams on the Tocantins floodplain, we quantified landscape-scale changes in floodplain extent, hydroperiod, and flood timing on a 145-km stretch of the river downstream of five dams. We used water level data from 1985 to 2019 to compare daily floodplain inundation dynamics before and after damming. We also developed models to examine the impacts of climate and land use change on hydrology of the Tocantins River. After installation of the first dam in 1998, an average of 82.3 km2 (63%) of the floodplain no longer flooded, overall average hydroperiod decreased by 15 days (11%), and flooding started an average of five days earlier. After all five dams were installed, 72% of the average pre-dam flooded area no longer flooded, average hydroperiod had decreased by 35%, and average inundation onset occurred 12 days later. These changes in floodplain hydrology appeared to be driven primarily by dam operations as we found no significant changes in precipitation over the study period. Increasing loss of natural vegetation in the watershed may play a role in changed hydrology but cannot explain the abrupt loss of floodplain extent after the first dam was installed. This is one of few studies to quantify dam-induced floodplain alteration at a landscape scale and to investigate impacts of multiple dams on a landscape. Our results indicate that the Tocantins River floodplain is undergoing drastic hydrologic alteration. The impacts of multiple dams are cumulative and non-linear, especially for hydroperiod and flood timing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A Christine Swanson
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, 1745 McCarty Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, United States of America.
| | - David Kaplan
- Department of Environmental and Engineering Sciences, University of Florida, 102 Phelps Lab, Gainesville, FL 32611, United States of America
| | - Kok-Ben Toh
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 1745 McCarty Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, United States of America
| | - Elineide E Marques
- Graduate Program in Environmental Science (PPGCiamb), Department of Biology, Federal University of Tocantins, Avenida NS 15, Quadra 109 Norte, Complexo Lamadrid, Palmas, TO 77001-090, Brazil
| | - Stephanie A Bohlman
- School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences, University of Florida, 1745 McCarty Dr., Gainesville, FL 32611, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Carvalho LN, Santos Júnior JB, Correa SB. Uncovering mechanisms of seed predation by fish. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucélia Nobre Carvalho
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso‐UFMT, Campus Universitário de Sinop Mato Grosso Brasil
- Instituto de Ciências Naturais, Humanas e Sociais Laboratório de Ictiologia Tropical (LIT) Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso‐UFMT, Campus Universitário de Sinop Mato Grosso Brasil
| | - João Batista Santos Júnior
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ciências Ambientais Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso‐UFMT, Campus Universitário de Sinop Mato Grosso Brasil
| | - Sandra Bibiana Correa
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MI USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pereyra PER, Hallwass G, Poesch M, Silvano RAM. ‘Taking Fishers’ Knowledge to the Lab’: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understand Fish Trophic Relationships in the Brazilian Amazon. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.723026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Trophic levels can be applied to describe the ecological role of organisms in food webs and assess changes in ecosystems. Stable isotopes analysis can assist in the understanding of trophic interactions and use of food resources by aquatic organisms. The local ecological knowledge (LEK) of fishers can be an alternative to advance understanding about fish trophic interactions and to construct aquatic food webs, especially in regions lacking research capacity. The objectives of this study are: to calculate the trophic levels of six fish species important to fishing by combining data from stable isotopes analysis and fishers’ LEK in two clear water rivers (Tapajós and Tocantins) in the Brazilian Amazon; to compare the trophic levels of these fish between the two methods (stable isotopes analysis and LEK) and the two rivers; and to develop diagrams representing the trophic webs of the main fish prey and predators based on fisher’s LEK. The fish species studied were Pescada (Plagioscion squamosissimus), Tucunaré (Cichla pinima), Piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus), Aracu (Leporinus fasciatus), Charuto (Hemiodus unimaculatus), and Jaraqui (Semaprochilodus spp.). A total of 98 interviews and 63 samples for stable isotopes analysis were carried out in both rivers. The average fish trophic levels did not differ between the stable isotopes analysis and the LEK in the Tapajós, nor in the Tocantins Rivers. The overall trophic level of the studied fish species obtained through the LEK did not differ from data obtained through the stable isotopes analysis in both rivers, except for the Aracu in the Tapajós River. The main food items consumed by the fish according to fishers’ LEK did agree with fish diets as described in the biological literature. Fishers provided useful information on fish predators and feeding habits of endangered species, such as river dolphin and river otter. Collaboration with fishers through LEK studies can be a viable approach to produce reliable data on fish trophic ecology to improve fisheries management and species conservation in tropical freshwater environments and other regions with data limitations.
Collapse
|
6
|
Kreutzer Brito A, Covich AP, Severo‐Neto F, Junior HG, Laps RR, Sabino J, Roque FDO. Diploendozoochory in Neotropical fish makes seed germination unlikely. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.13013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andresa Kreutzer Brito
- Bioscience Institute Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul Cidade Universitária Campo Grande Brasil
| | - Alan P. Covich
- Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens GA USA
| | - Francisco Severo‐Neto
- Bioscience Institute Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul Cidade Universitária Campo Grande Brasil
| | - Heriberto Gimênes Junior
- Laboratório de Ictiologia Instituto do Meio Ambiente de Mato Grosso do Sul (IMASUL) Campo Grande Brasil
| | - Rudi Ricardo Laps
- Bioscience Institute Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul Cidade Universitária Campo Grande Brasil
| | - José Sabino
- Universidade Anhanguera Uniderp Rua Alexandre Herculano Campo Grande Brasil
| | - Fabio de Oliveira Roque
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) James Cook University Cairns QLD Australia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Siqueira-Souza FK, Hurd LE, Yamamoto KC, Soares MGM, Cooper GJ, Kahn JR, Freitas CEC. Patterns of Pelagic Fish Diversity in Floodplain Lakes of Whitewater and Blackwater Drainage Systems Within the Central Amazon River Basin of Brazil. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.602895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The Amazon River Basin, one of the world’s most threatened ecosystems, has an enormous diversity of fish species, a result of temporally and spatially complex habitat containing biogeochemically different river systems. The annual hydrologic cycle results in floodplain lakes during low water and inundates forests during high water, exposing fish to different resources and environmental conditions. The two principal river systems in the central Brazilian Amazon are blackwater, with nutrient-poor acidic water, and nutrient-rich whitewater. Although species-rich, the Amazon Basin is data-poor in terms of comparative studies on a regional scale. We analyzed data sets from independent sampling studies of pelagic fish in 16 floodplain lakes, nine whitewater (Rio Solimões) and seven blackwater (Rio Negro), in the central Amazon Basin of Brazil. Our findings suggest striking similarities in pelagic fish diversity patterns. Species richness was virtually equal (165 in whitewater and 168 in blackwater). Both species richness, and number of migratory species, per lake increased toward the confluence of the rivers in both systems in our study. The proportion of unique species was also similar in whitewater lakes and blackwater (41 and 43%, respectively), boosting total regional richness to 237 species. However, species composition in whitewater lakes was more homogenous (lower β diversity), and species composition was associated with conductivity and pH in whitewater, but with dissolved oxygen and transparency in blackwater. Therefore, regional fish diversity cannot be represented by sampling one lake or even one drainage system, but must include multiple lakes from both systems. These two systems may differ in sensitivity to anthropogenic stressors such as damming and deforestation.
Collapse
|
8
|
Affiliation(s)
- Binod Borah
- Dept of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State Univ. Logan UT USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Sengupta A. Animal‐mediated seed dispersal in India: Implications for conservation of India’s biodiversity. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Asmita Sengupta
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment Bangalore Karnataka India
- National Institute of Advanced Studies Bangalore Karnataka India
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Figueroa A, Lange J, Whitfield SM. Seed Consumption by Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) in the Globally Imperiled Pine Rockland Ecosystem of Southern Florida, USA. CHELONIAN CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.2744/ccb-1426.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Figueroa
- Florida International University, Department of Earth and Environment,11200 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, Florida 33199 USA []
| | - James Lange
- Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, South Florida Conservation Program,10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida 33156 USA []
| | - Steven M. Whitfield
- Zoo Miami, Conservation and Research Department,12400 Southwest 152nd Street, Miami, Florida 33177 USA []
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Araujo JM, Correa SB, Penha J, Anderson J, Traveset A. Implications of overfishing of frugivorous fishes for cryptic function loss in a Neotropical floodplain. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joisiane Mendes Araujo
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
| | - Sandra Bibiana Correa
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Starkville MS USA
| | - Jerry Penha
- Centro de Biodiversidade Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
| | - Jill Anderson
- Department of Genetics, and Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens GA USA
| | - Anna Traveset
- Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (CSIC‐UIB)Terrestrial Ecology Group Mallorca Balearic Islands Spain
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Mulder AJE, Aalderen R, Leeuwen CHA. Tracking temperate fish reveals their relevance for plant seed dispersal. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J. E. Mulder
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group Wageningen University (WUR) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | | | - Casper H. A. Leeuwen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Yang Y, Lin Y, Shi L. The effect of lizards on the dispersal and germination of Capparis spinosa (Capparaceae). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247585. [PMID: 33635876 PMCID: PMC7909692 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Seed dispersal is a key component of the interactions between plants and animals. There is little research on the effects of lizard seed dispersal, which is more common on islands than elsewhere. In this study, the effects of the passage of Capparis spinosa seeds through Teratoscincus roborowskii lizard digestive tracts on the seed coats, water uptake rates and germination rates were investigated. In addition, the spatial patterns of fecal deposition by lizards in various microhabitats were assessed. Our results showed that the mean retention time (MRT) of mealworms was significantly longer than that of C. spinosa seeds in both adult and juvenile lizards. The defecation rate of C. spinosa tended to be lower than that of mealworms, which might be beneficial for seed dispersal. It was determined that the longer MRT of C. spinosa seeds enhanced the permeability of the seed coats, which promoted fast water uptake, broke seed dormancy and increased the seed germination rate. Furthermore, the seeds that passed through the digestive tracts of lizards were deposited in favorable germination microhabitats. By enhancing seed germination and depositing intact and viable seeds in safe potential recruitment sites, the lizard T. roborowskii acts, at least qualitatively, as an effective disperser of C. spinosa.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi Yang
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Yingying Lin
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Lei Shi
- College of Animal Science, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Nazareno AG, Knowles LL, Dick CW, Lohmann LG. By Animal, Water, or Wind: Can Dispersal Mode Predict Genetic Connectivity in Riverine Plant Species? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:626405. [PMID: 33643353 PMCID: PMC7907645 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.626405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Seed dispersal is crucial to gene flow among plant populations. Although the effects of geographic distance and barriers to gene flow are well studied in many systems, it is unclear how seed dispersal mediates gene flow in conjunction with interacting effects of geographic distance and barriers. To test whether distinct seed dispersal modes (i.e., hydrochory, anemochory, and zoochory) have a consistent effect on the level of genetic connectivity (i.e., gene flow) among populations of riverine plant species, we used unlinked single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for eight co-distributed plant species sampled across the Rio Branco, a putative biogeographic barrier in the Amazon basin. We found that animal-dispersed plant species exhibited higher levels of genetic diversity and lack of inbreeding as a result of the stronger genetic connectivity than plant species whose seeds are dispersed by water or wind. Interestingly, our results also indicated that the Rio Branco facilitates gene dispersal for all plant species analyzed, irrespective of their mode of dispersal. Even at a small spatial scale, our findings suggest that ecology rather than geography play a key role in shaping the evolutionary history of plants in the Amazon basin. These results may help improve conservation and management policies in Amazonian riparian forests, where degradation and deforestation rates are high.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alison G. Nazareno
- Departamentos de Botânica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Genetics, Ecology and Evolution, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- *Correspondence: Alison G. Nazareno,
| | - L. Lacey Knowles
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Christopher W. Dick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | - Lúcia G. Lohmann
- Departamentos de Botânica, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Lúcia G. Lohmann,
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Montes de Oca V, Wehncke EV, Mejía‐Mojica H, Mariano NA. Seed consumption by small fish follows peak seed availability in a tropical dry forest river. Biotropica 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Montes de Oca
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - Elisabet V. Wehncke
- Centro de Investigación en Biodiversidad y Conservación Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - Humberto Mejía‐Mojica
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos Cuernavaca, Morelos México
| | - Néstor A. Mariano
- Instituto de Ambiente de Montaña y Regiones Áridas Universidad Nacional de Chilecito Chilecito Argentina
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
van der Heide T, Angelini C, de Fouw J, Eklöf JS. Facultative mutualisms: A double-edged sword for foundation species in the face of anthropogenic global change. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:29-44. [PMID: 33437413 PMCID: PMC7790659 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecosystems worldwide depend on habitat-forming foundation species that often facilitate themselves with increasing density and patch size, while also engaging in facultative mutualisms. Anthropogenic global change (e.g., climate change, eutrophication, overharvest, land-use change), however, is causing rapid declines of foundation species-structured ecosystems, often typified by sudden collapse. Although disruption of obligate mutualisms involving foundation species is known to precipitate collapse (e.g., coral bleaching), how facultative mutualisms (i.e., context-dependent, nonbinding reciprocal interactions) affect ecosystem resilience is uncertain. Here, we synthesize recent advancements and combine these with model analyses supported by real-world examples, to propose that facultative mutualisms may pose a double-edged sword for foundation species. We suggest that by amplifying self-facilitative feedbacks by foundation species, facultative mutualisms can increase foundation species' resistance to stress from anthropogenic impact. Simultaneously, however, mutualism dependency can generate or exacerbate bistability, implying a potential for sudden collapse when the mutualism's buffering capacity is exceeded, while recovery requires conditions to improve beyond the initial collapse point (hysteresis). Thus, our work emphasizes the importance of acknowledging facultative mutualisms for conservation and restoration of foundation species-structured ecosystems, but highlights the potential risk of relying on mutualisms in the face of global change. We argue that significant caveats remain regarding the determination of these feedbacks, and suggest empirical manipulation across stress gradients as a way forward to identify related nonlinear responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tjisse van der Heide
- Department of Coastal SystemsRoyal Netherlands Institute of Sea Research and Utrecht UniversityDen BurgThe Netherlands
- Conservation Ecology GroupGroningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Christine Angelini
- Department of Environmental Engineering SciencesEngineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and the EnvironmentUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFLUSA
| | - Jimmy de Fouw
- Department of Aquatic Ecology & Environmental BiologyInstitute for Water and Wetland ResearchRadboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Johan S. Eklöf
- Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant SciencesStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Araujo JM, Correa SB, Anderson J, Penha J. Fruit preferences by fishes in a Neotropical floodplain. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joisiane Mendes Araujo
- Programa de Pós‐graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade Instituto de Biociências Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
| | - Sandra Bibiana Correa
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Mississippi State University Mississippi State MS USA
| | - Jill Anderson
- Department of Genetics, and Odum School of Ecology University of Georgia Athens GA USA
| | - Jerry Penha
- Centro de Biodiversidade Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso Cuiabá Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Differential ontogenetic effects of gut passage through fish on seed germination. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2020.103628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
|
19
|
Kolmann MA, Hughes LC, Hernandez LP, Arcila D, Betancur-R R, Sabaj MH, López-Fernández H, Ortí G. Phylogenomics of Piranhas and Pacus (Serrasalmidae) Uncovers How Dietary Convergence and Parallelism Obfuscate Traditional Morphological Taxonomy. Syst Biol 2020; 70:576-592. [PMID: 32785670 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syaa065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The Amazon and neighboring South American river basins harbor the world's most diverse assemblages of freshwater fishes. One of the most prominent South American fish families is the Serrasalmidae (pacus and piranhas), found in nearly every continental basin. Serrasalmids are keystone ecological taxa, being some of the top riverine predators as well as the primary seed dispersers in the flooded forest. Despite their widespread occurrence and notable ecologies, serrasalmid evolutionary history and systematics are controversial. For example, the sister taxon to serrasalmids is contentious, the relationships of major clades within the family are inconsistent across different methodologies, and half of the extant serrasalmid genera are suggested to be non-monophyletic. We analyzed exon capture to reexamine the evolutionary relationships among 63 (of 99) species across all 16 serrasalmid genera and their nearest outgroups, including multiple individuals per species to account for cryptic lineages. To reconstruct the timeline of serrasalmid diversification, we time-calibrated this phylogeny using two different fossil-calibration schemes to account for uncertainty in taxonomy with respect to fossil teeth. Finally, we analyzed diet evolution across the family and comment on associated changes in dentition, highlighting the ecomorphological diversity within serrasalmids. We document widespread non-monophyly of genera within Myleinae, as well as between Serrasalmus and Pristobrycon, and propose that reliance on traits like teeth to distinguish among genera is confounded by ecological homoplasy, especially among herbivorous and omnivorous taxa. We clarify the relationships among all serrasalmid genera, propose new subfamily affiliations, and support hemiodontids as the sister taxon to Serrasalmidae. [Characiformes; exon capture; ichthyochory; molecular time-calibration; piscivory.].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M A Kolmann
- Dept of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, 2029 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.,Dept of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queens Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada
| | - L C Hughes
- Dept of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, 2029 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.,Dept of Ichthyology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - L P Hernandez
- Dept of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, 2029 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - D Arcila
- Dept of Ichthyology, Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave, Norman, OK 73072, USA.,Dept of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 660 Parrington Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - R Betancur-R
- Dept of Ichthyology, Sam Noble Museum, 2401 Chautauqua Ave, Norman, OK 73072, USA.,Dept of Biology, University of Oklahoma, 660 Parrington Oval, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - M H Sabaj
- Dept of Ichthyology, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA
| | - H López-Fernández
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, 1105 North University Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - G Ortí
- Dept of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, 2029 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA.,Dept of Ichthyology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Temperature and food availability alters the physiology and aerobic capacity of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum). Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2020; 245:110704. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2020.110704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
21
|
Padgett DJ, Quirk S, Joyal M, Surasinghe TD. Egestion of plant propagules by turtles in a small Massachusetts river. J NAT HIST 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2019.1681531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Donald J. Padgett
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA, USA
| | - Sydney Quirk
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA, USA
| | - Meghan Joyal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA, USA
| | - Thilina D. Surasinghe
- Department of Biological Sciences, Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Boedeltje G, Klutman B, Schaap M, Sollman P, de Vos M, Lenssen JPM, Verberk WCEP. Plant Dispersal in a Temperate Stream by Fish Species With Contrasting Feeding Habits: The Role of Plant Traits, Fish Diet, Season, and Propagule Availability. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
23
|
Gordon IJ, Prins HHT, Mallon J, Puk LD, Miranda EBP, Starling-Manne C, van der Wal R, Moore B, Foley W, Lush L, Maestri R, Matsuda I, Clauss M. The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing in Other Vertebrate Taxa. THE ECOLOGY OF BROWSING AND GRAZING II 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-25865-8_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
|
24
|
Boyle KS, Herrel A. Relative size variation of the otoliths, swim bladder, and Weberian apparatus structures in piranhas and pacus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) with different ecologies and its implications for the detection of sound stimuli. J Morphol 2018; 279:1849-1871. [PMID: 30443931 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Revised: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 09/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The Weberian apparatus of otophysan fishes confers acute hearing that is hypothesized to allow these fishes to assess the environment and to find food resources. The otophysan family Serrasalmidae (piranhas and pacus) includes species known to feed on falling fruits and seeds (frugivore/granivores) that splash in rivers, herbivorous species associated with torrents and rapids (rheophiles), and carnivores that feed aggressively within shoals. Relevant sound stimuli may vary among these ecological groups and hearing may be tuned to different cues among species. In this context, we examined size variation of the Weberian ossicles, swim bladder chambers, and otoliths of 20 serrasalmid species from three broad feeding ecologies: frugivore/granivores, rheophiles, and carnivores. We performed 3D-reconstructions of high resolution tomographic data (μCT) from 54 museum specimens to estimate the size of these elements. We then tested for an ecology effect on covariation of auditory structure size and body size and accounted for phylogeny with phylogenetic generalized least squares analyses. Among ecological groups, we observed differences in relative sizes of otoliths associated with sound pressure and particle motion detection, and variation in Weberian ossicle size that may impact sound transmission. Rheophiles, which live in noisy environments, possess the strongest modifications of these structures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kelly S Boyle
- Département Adaptation du vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S./M.N.H.N, Case postale 55, Paris Cedex 5, France
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Département Adaptation du vivant, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S./M.N.H.N, Case postale 55, Paris Cedex 5, France
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
van Leeuwen CHA, Lovas-Kiss Á, Ovegård M, Green AJ. Great cormorants reveal overlooked secondary dispersal of plants and invertebrates by piscivorous waterbirds. Biol Lett 2018; 13:rsbl.2017.0406. [PMID: 28978756 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In wetland ecosystems, birds and fish are important dispersal vectors for plants and invertebrates, but the consequences of their interactions as vectors are unknown. Darwin suggested that piscivorous birds carry out secondary dispersal of seeds and invertebrates via predation on fish. We tested this hypothesis in the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo L.). Cormorants regurgitate pellets daily, which we collected at seven European locations and examined for intact propagules. One-third of pellets contained at least one intact plant seed, with seeds from 16 families covering a broad range of freshwater, marine and terrestrial habitats. Of 21 plant species, only two have an endozoochory dispersal syndrome, compared with five for water and eight for unassisted dispersal syndromes. One-fifth of the pellets contained at least one intact propagule of aquatic invertebrates from seven taxa. Secondary dispersal by piscivorous birds may be vital to maintain connectivity in meta-populations and between river catchments, and in the movement of plants and invertebrates in response to climate change. Secondary dispersal pathways associated with complex food webs must be studied in detail if we are to understand species movements in a changing world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Casper H A van Leeuwen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 6708 PB Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ádám Lovas-Kiss
- Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, Egyetem sq. 1, Debrecen 4032, Hungary
| | - Maria Ovegård
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Turistgatan 5, 453 30 Lysekil, Sweden
| | - Andy J Green
- Department of Wetland Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana, EBD-CSIC, Américo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Neurocranium shape variation of piranhas and pacus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae) in association with ecology and phylogeny. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
|
27
|
van Leeuwen CHA. Internal and External Dispersal of Plants by Animals: An Aquatic Perspective on Alien Interference. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:153. [PMID: 29487609 PMCID: PMC5816930 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Many alien plants use animal vectors for dispersal of their diaspores (zoochory). If alien plants interact with native disperser animals, this can interfere with animal-mediated dispersal of native diaspores. Interference by alien species is known for frugivorous animals dispersing fruits of terrestrial plants by ingestion, transport and egestion (endozoochory). However, less attention has been paid to possible interference of alien plants with dispersal of diaspores via external attachment (ectozoochory, epizoochory or exozoochory), interference in aquatic ecosystems, or positive effects of alien plants on dispersal of native plants. This literature study addresses the following hypotheses: (1) alien plants may interfere with both internal and external animal-mediated dispersal of native diaspores; (2) interference also occurs in aquatic ecosystems; (3) interference of alien plants can have both negative and positive effects on native plants. The studied literature revealed that alien species can comprise large proportions of both internally and externally transported diaspores. Because animals have limited space for ingested and adhering diaspores, alien species affect both internal and external transport of native diaspores. Alien plant species also form large proportions of all dispersed diaspores in aquatic systems and interfere with dispersal of native aquatic plants. Alien interference can be either negative (e.g., through competition with native plants) or positive (e.g., increased abundance of native dispersers, changed disperser behavior or attracting additional disperser species). I propose many future research directions, because understanding whether alien plant species disrupt or facilitate animal-mediated dispersal of native plants is crucial for targeted conservation of invaded (aquatic) plant communities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Casper H. A. van Leeuwen
- Department of Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Correa SB, de Oliveira PC, Nunes da Cunha C, Penha J, Anderson JT. Water and fish select for fleshy fruits in tropical wetland forests. Biotropica 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Bibiana Correa
- Odum School of Ecology; University of Georgia; Athens GA 30602 USA
- Department of Genetics; University of Georgia; Athens GA 30602 USA
| | - Patricia Carla de Oliveira
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia; Instituto de Biociências; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso; Av. Fernando Correa da Costa s/n Cuiabá MT Brazil
| | - Catia Nunes da Cunha
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia; Instituto de Biociências; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso; Av. Fernando Correa da Costa s/n Cuiabá MT Brazil
| | - Jerry Penha
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia; Instituto de Biociências; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso; Av. Fernando Correa da Costa s/n Cuiabá MT Brazil
| | - Jill T. Anderson
- Odum School of Ecology; University of Georgia; Athens GA 30602 USA
- Department of Genetics; University of Georgia; Athens GA 30602 USA
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Correa SB, Arujo JK, Penha J, Nunes da Cunha C, Bobier KE, Anderson JT. Stability and generalization in seed dispersal networks: a case study of frugivorous fish in Neotropical wetlands. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 283:rspb.2016.1267. [PMID: 27581879 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.1267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
When species within guilds perform similar ecological roles, functional redundancy can buffer ecosystems against species loss. Using data on the frequency of interactions between fish and fruit, we assessed whether co-occurring frugivores provide redundant seed dispersal services in three species-rich Neotropical wetlands. Our study revealed that frugivorous fishes have generalized diets; however, large-bodied fishes had greater seed dispersal breadth than small species, in some cases, providing seed dispersal services not achieved by smaller fish species. As overfishing disproportionately affects big fishes, the extirpation of these species could cause larger secondary extinctions of plant species than the loss of small specialist frugivores. To evaluate the consequences of frugivore specialization for network stability, we extracted data from 39 published seed dispersal networks of frugivorous birds, mammals and fish (our networks) across ecosystems. Our analysis of interaction frequencies revealed low frugivore specialization and lower nestedness than analyses based on binary data (presence-absence of interactions). In that case, ecosystems may be resilient to loss of any given frugivore. However, robustness to frugivore extinction declines with specialization, such that networks composed primarily of specialist frugivores are highly susceptible to the loss of generalists. In contrast with analyses of binary data, recently developed algorithms capable of modelling interaction strengths provide opportunities to enhance our understanding of complex ecological networks by accounting for heterogeneity of frugivore-fruit interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Bibiana Correa
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Joisiane K Arujo
- Centro de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Av. Fernando Correia 2367, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Jerry Penha
- Centro de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Av. Fernando Correia 2367, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Catia Nunes da Cunha
- Centro de Biodiversidade, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Av. Fernando Correia 2367, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - Karen E Bobier
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jill T Anderson
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Corlett RT. Frugivory and seed dispersal by vertebrates in tropical and subtropical Asia: An update. Glob Ecol Conserv 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2017.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
|
31
|
Hanly PJ, Mittelbach GG, Schemske DW. Speciation and the Latitudinal Diversity Gradient: Insights from the Global Distribution of Endemic Fish. Am Nat 2017; 189:604-615. [DOI: 10.1086/691535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
32
|
Barbosa TAP, Montag LFA. The role of Lithodoras dorsalis (Siluriformes: Doradidae) as seed disperser in Eastern Amazon. NEOTROPICAL ICHTHYOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-20160061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT Ichthyochory is an important process responsible for the high diversity of plant species in tropical flooded forests. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the role of a catfish species, Lithodoras dorsalis, as seed disperser in the flooded forests at the Amazon River mouth, Brazil. Analyzing the stomach contents of 371 individuals of Lithodoras dorsalis, the Germination Potential (GP%) and Germination Speed Index (GSI) of seeds that were removed intact were investigated. This allowed us to evaluate the germination performance of two important species of plants in Amazonia, Euterpe oleracea (Açaí) and Montrichardia linifera (Aninga), after passage through the digestive tract of this catfish species. Given that digestion by L. dorsalis reduced the germination viability of M. linifera and that seeds were often destroyed during consumption, we suggest that L. dorsalis may have a limited role as seed disperser of M. linifera and instead mostly act as seed predator. However, for the species E. oleracea, L. dorsalis was a potential disperser, since the performance of germination of these seeds was improved after digestion. In addition, the number of seeds consumed was directly proportional to the catfish’s body size, reinforcing the role of doradids as potential seed dispersers in tropical forests.
Collapse
|
33
|
Consistent individual differences in seed disperser quality in a seed-eating fish. Oecologia 2016; 183:81-91. [PMID: 27704241 PMCID: PMC5239806 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3749-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Animal-mediated seed dispersal (zoochory) is considered to be an important mechanism regulating biological processes at larger spatial scales. To date, intra-specific variation in seed disperser quality within seed-dispersing animals has not been studied. Here, I employed seed feeding trials to quantify individual differences in disperser quality within the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) using seeds of two aquatic plants: unbranched bur-reed (Sparganium emersum, Sparganiaceae) and arrowhead (Sagittaria sagittifolia, Alismataceae). I found substantial variation among carp individuals in their propensity to ingest seeds and their ability to digest them, resulting in up to 31-fold differences in the probability of seed dispersal. In addition, there were significant differences in the time that seeds are retained in their digestive systems, generating a twofold difference in the maximum distance over which they can potentially disperse seeds. I propose that seed-eating animal species consist of individuals that display continuous variation in disperser quality, with at one end of the continuum individuals that are likely to eat seeds, pass them unharmed through their digestive tract and transport them over large distances to new locations (i.e. high-quality seed dispersers) and at the other end individuals that rarely eat seeds, destroy most of the ones they ingest and transport the few surviving seeds over relatively short distances (low-quality seed dispersers). Although individual differences in seed dispersal quality could be the result of a variety of factors, these results underline the ecological and evolutionary potential of such variation for both plants and animals.
Collapse
|
34
|
Correa SB, Anderson JT. A non-destructive sampling protocol for field studies of seed dispersal by fishes. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2016; 88:1989-2003. [PMID: 27097831 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.12963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This paper presents a standardized protocol for the non-lethal capture of fishes, sampling of stomach contents and quantification of seed dispersal efficiency by frugivorous fishes. Neotropical pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus individuals were collected with fruit-baited hooks. The diets of 110 fish were sampled using a lavage method, which retrieved >90% of stomach contents of both juveniles and adults and allowed individuals to recover within 5 min of treatment. The proportional volume of six food categories was similar for stomachs and whole digestive tracts retrieved by dissection. Fruit pulp was proportionally lower in the stomach. The abundance and species richness of intact seeds increased with fish size independent of whether only stomachs or whole digestive tracts were analysed. The analysis of stomach contents accounted for 62·5% of the total species richness of seeds dispersed by P. mesopotamicus and 96% of common seeds (seed species retrieved from more than one fish). Germination trials revealed that seed viability was similar for seeds collected from the stomach via lavage and seeds that passed through the entire digestive tract. Therefore, stomach contents provide an unbiased representation of the dietary patterns and seed dispersal of frugivorous fishes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S B Correa
- Department of Genetics and Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 120 Green St, Athens, GA 30602-7223, U.S.A
| | - J T Anderson
- Department of Genetics and Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, 120 Green St, Athens, GA 30602-7223, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Hawes JE, Peres CA. Patterns of plant phenology in Amazonian seasonally flooded and unflooded forests. Biotropica 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph E. Hawes
- School of Environmental Sciences; University of East Anglia; Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ U.K
| | - Carlos A. Peres
- School of Environmental Sciences; University of East Anglia; Norwich Research Park Norwich NR4 7TJ U.K
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Peoples BK, Frimpong EA. Context-dependent outcomes in a reproductive mutualism between two freshwater fish species. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:1214-23. [PMID: 26941947 PMCID: PMC4761764 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Revised: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of encompassing general models of ecology is precluded by underrepresentation of certain taxa and systems. Models predicting context‐dependent outcomes of biotic interactions have been tested using plants and bacteria, but their applicability to higher taxa is largely unknown. We examined context dependency in a reproductive mutualism between two stream fish species: mound nest‐building bluehead chub Nocomis leptocephalus and mountain redbelly dace Chrosomus oreas, which often uses N. leptocephalus nests for spawning. We hypothesized that increased predator density and decreased substrate availability would increase the propensity of C. oreas to associate with N. leptocephalus and decrease reproductive success of both species. In a large‐scale in situ experiment, we manipulated egg predator density and presence of both symbionts (biotic context), and replicated the experiment in habitats containing high‐ and low‐quality spawning substrate (abiotic context). Contradictory to our first hypothesis, we observed that C. oreas did not spawn without its host. The interaction outcome switched from commensalistic to mutualistic with changing abiotic and biotic contexts, although the net outcome was mutualistic. The results of this study yielded novel insight into how context dependency operates in vertebrate mutualisms. Although the dilution effect provided by C. oreas positively influenced reproductive success of N. leptocephalus, it was not enough to overcome both egg predation and poor spawning habitat quality. Outcomes of the interaction may be ultimately determined by associate density. Studies of context dependency in vertebrate systems require detailed knowledge of species life‐history traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brandon K Peoples
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 100 Cheatham Hall Blacksburg Virginia 24061
| | - Emmanuel A Frimpong
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 100 Cheatham Hall Blacksburg Virginia 24061
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
van Leeuwen CHA, Beukeboom R, Nolet BA, Bakker ES, Pollux BJ. Locomotion during digestion changes current estimates of seed dispersal kernels by fish. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Casper H. A. van Leeuwen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) Department of Biosciences University of Oslo Post Office Box 1066 Blindern0316 Oslo Norway
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Droevendaalsesteeg 10 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Rosanne Beukeboom
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Droevendaalsesteeg 10 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
- Institute of Environmental Biology Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Utrecht University Padualaan 83584 CH Utrecht The Netherlands
| | - Bart A. Nolet
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Droevendaalsesteeg 106708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Elisabeth S. Bakker
- Department of Aquatic Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Droevendaalsesteeg 10 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Bart J.A. Pollux
- Experimental Zoology Group Department of Animal Sciences Wageningen University De Elst 16708 WD Wageningen The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Barbosa TAP, Barthem RB, Montag LFDA. Feeding ecology of immature Lithodoras dorsalis (Valenciennes, 1840) (Siluriformes: Doradidae) in a tidal environment, estuary of the rio Amazonas. NEOTROPICAL ICHTHYOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1590/1982-0224-20130014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Studies of feeding ecology are important for the evaluation of interactive processes in fish communities. This study evaluated the feeding ecology of Lithodoras dorsalis (Doradidae) from streams within the Amazon estuary delta (Brazil), a macro-tidal area, on different pluviometric periods. A total of 371 young specimens was collected during 12 months of sampling (July 2010 to June 2011). The species diet was composed of 28 food items analyzed by Repletion Index, Alimentary Index and Niche Breadth. Young L. dorsalis was classified as herbivore with a frugivory tendency due to the high importance of fruit and seeds in its diet. Food intake varied among sampled months, with the lowest intake being recorded during the rainy-dry season transition period, and the highest at the beginning of the dry season. The importance of food items and the composition of the diet were different throughout the year, probably due to the daily tides that allow fish to access new environments and the pluviometric periods. These results provide important data on the feeding ecology of Amazonian doradids. The study also emphasized the importance of allochthonous resources, derived from the riparian forest, which reinforces the importance of this habitat for the conservation of Neotropical freshwater fishes.
Collapse
|
39
|
Altaba CR. Once a land of big wild rivers: specialism is context-dependent for riparian snails (Pulmonata: Valloniidae) in central Europe. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cristian R. Altaba
- Human Evolution and Cognition Group (EVOCOG); Universitat de les Illes Balears; 07122 Palma Balearic Islands Spain
- Laboratori de Natura; Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona; Passeig Picasso s/n 08003 Barcelona Catalonia Spain
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Silveira RML, Weiss B. Evidence for herbaceous seed dispersal by small-bodied fishes in a Pantanal seasonal wetland. BRAZ J BIOL 2015; 74:588-96. [PMID: 25296207 DOI: 10.1590/bjb.2014.0089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2012] [Accepted: 04/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We analysed the germination of seeds after their passage through the digestive tract of small floodplain fishes. Samples were collected in five open flooded fields of the northern Pantanal in March 2011. All fishes were sacrificed and their intestinal contents were removed. The fecal material was weighed and stored at 4°C in a GF/C filter wrapped in aluminum foil. The material was then transferred to a receptacle containing sterilised soil from the sampling area. The fecal samples were kept in a germination chamber for 68 days and then transferred to a greenhouse for another 67 days. We collected a total of 45 fish species and 1014 individuals which produced a total amount of 32 g of fresh fecal mass and 11 seedlings. We were able to identify six seedlings: two Banara arguta, two Steinchisma laxa, one Hymenachne amplexicaulis and one Luziola sp.. The fish species that produced samples with seedlings were Astyanax assuncionensis, Metynnis mola, Plesiolebias glaucopterus, Acestrorhyncus pantaneiro and Anadoras wendelli. With the exception of B. arguta the remaining plant species and all fish species were not known to be associated with the seed dispersal process of these plants. We found a ratio of 0.435 seedlings.g-1 of fresh fecal material, which is 100 times higher than the amount of seedlings encountered in fresh soil mass (92,974 grams) in seed bank studies conducted in the same study area. In particular, Astyanax assuncionensis and Metynnis mola were among the most frequent and most abundant fish taxa in the area. Together with the high seed concentration in the fish fecal material, this evidence allows us to conclude that such fish species may play an important role in seed dispersal in the herbaceous plants of the Pantanal.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R M L Silveira
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso - UFMT, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| | - B Weiss
- Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso - UFMT, Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Correa SB, Costa-Pereira R, Fleming T, Goulding M, Anderson JT. Neotropical fish-fruit interactions: eco-evolutionary dynamics and conservation. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 90:1263-78. [PMID: 25599800 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Revised: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Frugivorous fish play a prominent role in seed dispersal and reproductive dynamics of plant communities in riparian and floodplain habitats of tropical regions worldwide. In Neotropical wetlands, many plant species have fleshy fruits and synchronize their fruiting with the flood season, when fruit-eating fish forage in forest and savannahs for periods of up to 7 months. We conducted a comprehensive analysis to examine the evolutionary origin of fish-fruit interactions, describe fruit traits associated with seed dispersal and seed predation, and assess the influence of fish size on the effectiveness of seed dispersal by fish (ichthyochory). To date, 62 studies have documented 566 species of fruits and seeds from 82 plant families in the diets of 69 Neotropical fish species. Fish interactions with flowering plants are likely to be as old as 70 million years in the Neotropics, pre-dating most modern bird-fruit and mammal-fruit interactions, and contributing to long-distance seed dispersal and possibly the radiation of early angiosperms. Ichthyochory occurs across the angiosperm phylogeny, and is more frequent among advanced eudicots. Numerous fish species are capable of dispersing small seeds, but only a limited number of species can disperse large seeds. The size of dispersed seeds and the probability of seed dispersal both increase with fish size. Large-bodied species are the most effective seed dispersal agents and remain the primary target of fishing activities in the Neotropics. Thus, conservation efforts should focus on these species to ensure continuity of plant recruitment dynamics and maintenance of plant diversity in riparian and floodplain ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Bibiana Correa
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715 Sumter St., Columbia, SC 29208, U.S.A
| | - Raul Costa-Pereira
- Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia & Biodiversidade, Universidade Estadual Paulista 'Julio de Mesquita Filho', Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Theodore Fleming
- Emeritus, Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33124, U.S.A
| | - Michael Goulding
- Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Blvd., Bronx, NY 10460, U.S.A
| | - Jill T Anderson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, 715 Sumter St., Columbia, SC 29208, U.S.A
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Catford JA, Jansson R. Drowned, buried and carried away: effects of plant traits on the distribution of native and alien species in riparian ecosystems. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2014; 204:19-36. [PMID: 25130059 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Accepted: 06/19/2014] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Riparian vegetation is exposed to stress from inundation and hydraulic disturbance, and is often rich in native and alien plant species. We describe 35 traits that enable plants to cope with riparian conditions. These include traits for tolerating or avoiding anoxia and enabling underwater photosynthesis, traits that confer resistance and resilience to hydraulic disturbance, and attributes that facilitate dispersal, such as floating propagules. This diversity of life-history strategies illustrates that there are many ways of sustaining life in riparian zones, which helps to explain high riparian biodiversity. Using community assembly theory, we examine how adaptations to inundation, disturbance and dispersal shape plant community composition along key environmental gradients, and how human actions have modified communities. Dispersal-related processes seem to explain many patterns, highlighting the influence of regional processes on local species assemblages. Using alien plant invasions like an (uncontrolled) experiment in community assembly, we use an Australian and a global dataset to examine possible causes of high degrees of riparian invasion. We found that high proportions of alien species in the regional species pools have invaded riparian zones, despite not being riparian specialists, and that riparian invaders disperse in more ways, including by water and humans, than species invading other ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jane A Catford
- School of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., 3010, Australia
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Roland Jansson
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Fruit–frugivore interactions in Amazonian seasonally flooded and unflooded forests. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467414000261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Constructing community fruit–frugivore networks has proved challenging in tropical forests to date, particularly in lowland Amazonia, which hosts the most diverse spectrum of frugivorous vertebrates and morphological fruit types worldwide. We assessed data on fruit resource production, frugivore assemblages and corresponding fruit–frugivore networks in two contrasting forest types along the Rio Juruá of western Brazilian Amazonia: seasonally flooded várzea (VZ) and unflooded terra firme forest (TF). Over 2 y we conducted monthly surveys of fruit patches and medium- to large-bodied vertebrate frugivores within three 100-ha plots (two TF, one VZ), supplemented by fruit surveys along 67 5-km transects distributed across two contiguous forest reserves (41 TF, 26 VZ). Observations of trophic interactions were supplemented by semi-structured interviews with experienced hunters and fishermen from 16 local communities. The resultant binary networks contained low proportions of all potential interactions (TF: 25.7%, VZ: 19.4%) between 36 functional groups of frugivores and 152 plant genera and, while we report significant heterogeneity in fruit resource use among broad frugivore guilds within each forest type, recursive partitioning analysis failed to clearly match differences in fruit selection to fruit traits. The annual flood pulse in várzea forests had an overriding influence on the species turnover of both fruit resources and frugivores between the two forest types, with higher-order effects on network structure.
Collapse
|
44
|
Correa SB, Winemiller KO. Niche partitioning among frugivorous fishes in response to fluctuating resources in the Amazonian floodplain forest. Ecology 2014; 95:210-24. [PMID: 24649660 DOI: 10.1890/13-0393.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 130] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
In response to temporal changes in the quality and availability of food resources, consumers should adjust their foraging behavior in a manner that maximizes energy and nutrient intake and, when resources are limiting, minimizes dietary overlap with other consumers. Floodplains of the Amazon and its lowland tributaries are characterized by strong, yet predictable, hydrological seasonality, seasonal availability of fruits, seeds, and other food resources of terrestrial origin, and diverse assemblages of frugivorous fishes, including morphologically similar species of several characiform families. Here, we investigated how diets of frugivorous fishes in the Amazon change in response to fluctuations in food availability, and how this influences patterns of interspecific dietary overlap. We tested predictions from classical theories of foraging and resource competition by estimating changes in diet breadth and overlap across seasons. We monitored fruiting phenology to assess food availability, and surveyed local fish populations during three hydrological seasons in an oligotrophic river and an adjacent oxbow lake in the Colombian Amazon. We analyzed stomach contents and stable isotope data to evaluate temporal and interspecific relationships for dietary composition, breadth, and overlap. Diets of six species of characiform fishes representing three genera changed according to seasonal fluctuations in food availability, and patterns of diet breadth and interspecific overlap during the peak flood pulse were consistent with predictions of optimal foraging theory. During times of high fruit abundance, fishes consumed items to which their functional morphological traits seemed best adapted, potentially enhancing net energy and nutritional gains. As the annual flood pulse subsided and availability of forest food resources in aquatic habitats changed, there was not a consistent pattern of diet breadth expansion or compression. Nonetheless, shifts in both diet composition and stable isotope ratios of consumer tissues during this period resulted in trophic niche segregation in a pattern consistent with competition theory.
Collapse
|
45
|
Aslan CE, Zavaleta ES, Tershy B, Croll D. Mutualism Disruption Threatens Global Plant Biodiversity: A Systematic Review. PLoS One 2013; 8:e66993. [PMID: 23840571 PMCID: PMC3686776 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2012] [Accepted: 05/16/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND As global environmental change accelerates, biodiversity losses can disrupt interspecific interactions. Extinctions of mutualist partners can create "widow" species, which may face reduced ecological fitness. Hypothetically, such mutualism disruptions could have cascading effects on biodiversity by causing additional species coextinctions. However, the scope of this problem - the magnitude of biodiversity that may lose mutualist partners and the consequences of these losses - remains unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We conducted a systematic review and synthesis of data from a broad range of sources to estimate the threat posed by vertebrate extinctions to the global biodiversity of vertebrate-dispersed and -pollinated plants. Though enormous research gaps persist, our analysis identified Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, and global oceanic islands as geographic regions at particular risk of disruption of these mutualisms; within these regions, percentages of plant species likely affected range from 2.1-4.5%. Widowed plants are likely to experience reproductive declines of 40-58%, potentially threatening their persistence in the context of other global change stresses. CONCLUSIONS Our systematic approach demonstrates that thousands of species may be impacted by disruption in one class of mutualisms, but extinctions will likely disrupt other mutualisms, as well. Although uncertainty is high, there is evidence that mutualism disruption directly threatens significant biodiversity in some geographic regions. Conservation measures with explicit focus on mutualistic functions could be necessary to bolster populations of widowed species and maintain ecosystem functions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Clare E. Aslan
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Erika S. Zavaleta
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Bernie Tershy
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Donald Croll
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Aldea-Guevara MI, Hargrove J, Austin JD. Diversity and geneflow in a migratory frugivorous fish: implications for Amazonian habitat connectivity. CONSERV GENET 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-012-0442-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
|
47
|
Mora JP, Smith-Ramírez C, Zúñiga-Feest A. The role of fleshy pericarp in seed germination and dispersal under flooded conditions in three wetland forest species. ACTA OECOLOGICA 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2012.10.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
|
48
|
Costa-Pereira R, Severo-Neto F, Yule TS, Pereira APT. Fruit-eating fishes of Banara arguta (Salicaceae) in the Miranda River floodplain, Pantanal wetland. BIOTA NEOTROPICA 2011. [DOI: 10.1590/s1676-06032011000400033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The role of fish as frugivorous and its ecological consequences are often neglected in ecological studies. However, the importance of the interaction between fish and plants is gaining force in scientific literature, and fish has been considered effective seed dispersers. The fruit-eating fish assemblage of Banara arguta (Salicaceae) was evaluated in Southern Pantanal wetlands. Nine species were reported consuming fruits, with different strategies to capture them. The distribution of B. arguta associated with the Pantanal floodplain and the presence of several species of fruit-eating fish, suggest that ichthyochory can be an important seed dispersal strategy to B. arguta.
Collapse
|
49
|
Forget PM, Jordano P, Lambert JE, Böhning-Gaese K, Traveset A, Wright SJ. Frugivores and seed dispersal (1985–2010); the ‘seeds’ dispersed, established and matured. ACTA OECOLOGICA-INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2011.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|