Post-dispersal predation of Acacia farnesiana seeds by Stator vachelliae (Bruchidae) in Central America

Summary Post-dispersal seed predation by the bruchid beetle Stator vachelliae was investigated in Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica. This insect finds the seeds of the leguminous Acacia farnesiana in the feces of horses, deer, and ctenosaur lizards, the current major dispersers. Patterns of oviposition and pre-adult survival of beetles in the seeds were investigated in a series of experiments using fresh horse dung. S. vachelliae never minded into the dung balls, attacking only those seeds located on the surface. Fresh horse dung did not attract insects more readily than dry dung. The proportion of seeds attacked was not related to their density in a defecation, and was similar in three areas with different densities of the host plant. In a fourth area with no fruiting A. farnesiana shrubs all seeds survived insect predation. Bruchids attacked a greater proportion of seeds at 1 m than at 5 m from the edge of the shrub's crown. Seeds were mainly removed from horse dung by rodents with similar intensity in all areas and at both distances; this seed removal interfered with bruchid oviposition and probably with bruchid survival. S. vachelliae oviposited less frequently on seeds in dung fully exposed to sun. When oviposition on a dung pile was high, the distribution of eggs on the seeds was clumped, suggesting that some seeds were preferred to others. By the end of the dry season, bruchids stopped attacking the seeds. The results show that the fate of both seeds and bruchids is greatly influenced by the location and time of defecation.     

Ilex Canariensis Poir. (Aquifoliaceae) Post-dispersal Seed Predation in the Canary Islands

Alien species have many negative effects on insular ecosystems worldwide. We investigated Ilex canariensis post-dispersal seed predation by introduced rats (Rattus spp.) in relict forests of the Canary Islands at different spatial scales: among microhabitats within the same forest, among forest types within the same island, and among different islands of the archipelago. Seed predation intensity was very high (>70%) in all cases considered, irrespective of the spatial scale. We did not find significant differences between forest interior, edges or gaps, as well as between different forest types in four islands of the archipelago. Comparatively low predation intensity was found in El Hierro island, where more than 50% of the seeds survived at the end of the experiment, while highest seed predation was observed in Tenerife island. It is concluded that post-dispersal seed predation by rats, due to its extent and intensity, could have an important effect on Ilex canariensis recruitment, especially in successional areas where this light tolerant tree can naturally establish.     

Variation in Seedling Density and Seed Predation Indicators for the Emergent Tree Dipteryx panamensis in Continuous and Fragmented Rain Forest1

Seedling density and the condition of stony endocarps of the tree Dipteryx panamensis were assessed in protected continuous forest and two forest fragments exposed to hunting and selective logging. Seedling density was higher in forest fragments than in continuous forest, while more whole endocarps and fewer chewed and half endocarps were found in fragments, indicating lower seed predation at fragment sites. These findings appear to contradict two earlier D. panamensis studies and we discuss methodological differences that could account for our disparate results. Hunting and fragmentation effects on mammal populations are suggested as a cause for the altered recruitment pattern in fragments.     

Context-dependent post-dispersal predation of acorns in a California oak community

Seed dispersal and predation play important roles in plant life history by contributing to recruitment patterns in the landscape. Mast-seeding – extensive synchronized inter-annual variability in seed production – is known to influence the activity of acorn consumers at source trees, but little is known about its effect on post-dispersal predation. We conducted a planting experiment over three years to investigate the relationship between habitat-level post-dispersal predation and landscape-wide acorn production of three sympatric oak species (Quercus spp.). We measured post-dispersal predation in three oak-dominated habitats – savanna (under Q. lobata), forest edge (under Q. agrifolia), and woodland (under Q. douglasii) – as well as in chaparral and open fields. Overall, landscape-level predation was similarly high among study years, averaging 61.4%. Neither species nor mass of planted acorns affected predation. Habitat had a significant effect on post-dispersal predation risk with acorns disappearing most rapidly in chaparral and least rapidly in woodlands. However, a significant interaction between year and habitat (Z = −4.5, P < 0.001) showed that the hierarchy of predation risk among habitats was inconsistent among years. Using annual acorn census data from local populations of each oak species, we found that predation risk in oak-dominated habitats was significantly and positively related to acorn production of the overstory species (Z = −9.53, P = 0.009). Our findings add to growing evidence that seed dispersal, predation, and regeneration are context-dependent on annual variation in community-level seed production, and we discuss the potential consequences of these dynamics on oak recruitment and animal behavior.     

Removal and predation of Quercus liaotungensis acorns by animals

Two types of acorns (fresh, current-year acorns and old, previous-year acorns) of Quercus liaotungensis were used under two different situations (night and day) to examine the removal and predation by animals in the field. The acorns disappeared very fast. During the day, all of the 280 this-year acorns (TA) and all of the 140 last-year acorns (LA) were removed by animals within 6 h and 5 h, respectively, after acorns were put in place. At night, all of the 280 TA acorns were removed by animals within 10 h after acorns were distributed, and 71 out of 140 LA acorns were removed within 10 h. Animals consumed a small proportion of acorns in situ (11.8%). The number of TA acorns consumed in situ at night was higher than that during the day. During the day, the number of LA acorns consumed in situ was significantly higher than TA acorns. This result suggests that the most important harvesters of Q. liaotungensis during the day were visually orientated diurnal animals, and the most important harvesters at night were olfactorily orientated nocturnal animals. Furthermore, the latter are more efficient than the former at finding and harvesting acorns, because they spend less energy on harvesting the same number of sound acorns.     

Lifecycle of the bruchid beetle Bruchidius uberatus and its predation of Acacia nilotica seeds in a tree savanna in Botswana

The life cycle of the bruchid beetle Bruchidius uberatus in seeds of Acacia nilotica has been investigated under field and laboratory condition. In contrast to the multivoltine populations in the Sudan, in Botswana most beetles of B. uberatus are univoltine. They emerge from the seed and pod in early spring (October to November). Only a small part of the population, which emerge in late summer (February to March) is multivoltine, as confirmed by rearing experiments. The reproductive activity of females is not stimulated by pollen, as found in feeding experiments. Minimum life-span of adult beetles varies between 4 and 40 days, but it did not differ between univoltine and multivoltine beetles. Other data on life-history are 22 days for hatching of the fist-instar larva at a temperature regime of 20/15 °C (day/night) and 15 days at a temperature regime of 32/15 °C and 3 to 11 months for development from larvae to beetle.During dry storage of seeds B. uberatus can destroy the total amount of stored seeds within a few years. In stored seed pool, host-specificity of larva is low.The life cycles of the Botswana population have been discussed in relation to that of the species in the Sudan.

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Zusammenfassung Der Lebenszyklus des Samenkäfers Bruchidius uberatus in Samen von Acacia nilotica wurde unter Feld- und Laborbedingungen untersucht. Im Gegensatz zu multivoltinen Populationen im Sudan (Peake, 1982) sind die Populationen von B. uberatus in Botswana vor allem univoltin. Adulte Käfer verlassen die Samen von A. nilotica während des Süd-Frühlings (Oktober/November). Im Spätsommer (Februar/März) geschlüpfte Käfer entstammen multivoltinen Genotypen, wie Züchtungsexperimente gezeigt haben. Die reproduktive Aktivität der Weibchen wird nicht durch die Zufuhr von Pollen oder Zucker stimuliert.Die Entwicklungsdauer vom Ei bis zum 1. Larvenstadium beträgt 15 Tage bis 52 und 3 bis 11 Monate bis zum adulten Käfer, deren Lebenserwartung unter Laboratoriumbedingungen 4 bis 40 Tage beträgt. Hierbei besteht kein Unterschied zwischen uni- und multivoltinen Käfern. Der lange Lebenszyklus in Botswana steht im Gegensatz zu dem 40-tägigen Lebenszyklus von B. uberatus im Sudan, der offensichtlich durch die Jahrhunderte andauernde Sammlung von Früchten verursacht ist.Samenvorräte, die zu Forstzwecken längere Zeit aufbewahrt werden, können innerhalb von 5 bis 8 Jahren völlig zerstört werden. Dabei ist die Wirtsspezifität gering. Die Infektion betrifft auch andere Acacia-Arten, z.B. A. burkei, A. erioloba, A. hebeclada, A. mellifera, A. robusta und A. tortilis. Durch die rasche Zerstörung der Embryoachse haben die Käfer keinen positiven Einfluss auf die Keimung dieser hartschaligen Acacia-Samen.

     

The effect of samara wing presence on predation of Acer pseudoplatanus (Sapindaceae) seeds on the ground

The key selective pressure shaping the morphology of samaras is seen as enhancing primary wind-borne dispersal from the parent plant to the ground. However, the consequences of the samara wing of primarily wind-dispersed tree species for post-dispersal processes has not been well studied. We explored whether the presence of this wing in Acer pseudoplatanus either deters or promotes predation after dispersal, either by increasing the time and energy required to predate the seed or by increasing the seed's visibility to predators. We found that wing-removed fruits were preferred, suggesting that the presence of samaras makes seed handling more expensive for granivores. Further, we found that fewer seeds were consumed from treatments that contained the most winged seeds, thus there was no evidence of the samaras making seed finding easier for granivores. We conclude that the presence of the wing may offer an anti-predatory benefit as well as aiding primary dispersal.     

Shell strength and primate seed predation of nontoxic species in eastern and southern Africa

The large African primates that eat fruit destroy the seeds of a number of fruiting species. This paper addresses several questions about seed-eating: What is the nature of the dietary niche provided by the nonpoisonous seeds of eastern and southern Africa? How well are these seeds mechanically protected? What other means of reducing seed predation are employed by the plants? and is the niche ecologically stable? Measurements of seed shell strength on 37 species from 17 families reveal a range of values, from <100-kg (numerous species) to over 2000-kg (palm nuts) breaking load. Primates crack open with their teeth seed shells from species exhibiting test strengths less than 600 kg. Variation in shell strength appears to increase dramatically for average species strengths above 100 kg. Plant species are not characterized by specific shell strengths but instead, display envelopes of shell strength overlapping broadly with other species. Taking this into account, adult male baboons (Papio spp.) appear to be dentally capable of preying upon most of the seed species of eastern and southern Africa. The possibility for predation of nonpoisonous seeds exists primarily because the plants periodically produce large crops in synchrony and the hard-shelled seeds are effectively dispersed, sometimes explosively but more often by means of edible fruits. The concomitant primate seed predation is a facultative specialization, of little apparent threat to the community of plants that support it.     

Evidence for pre-dispersal predation of seeds of Tithonia diversifolia by the black-faced canary (Serinus capistratus)

Pre-dispersal predation of seeds of exotic Asteraceae by foraging birds is understudied. Using phenological records and photo-assisted analysis of damages made to seed heads, this paper provides evidence that the black-faced canary Serinus capistratus Finsch and Hartlaub feeds on immature achenes of Tithonia diversifolia (Hemsley) A. Gray and may control its propagule pressure up to 18% of the total number of achenes aged between 20–30 days counted from petal fall.     

啮齿类取食的物种偏好与时空格局

通过强烈消耗土壤种子库,动物取食种子对植物种群更新和群落动态产生深远的影响。一般认为种子被食概率的空间格局取决于种子密度和离母树的距离,而环境（如地形）异质性的影响则一直没有得到足够的关注,与此相关的机制及其影响程度亦不清楚。研究设计在野外埋放种子以模拟种子扩散后的情形,监测啮齿类对种子的取食,以检验种子取食受埋藏生境、时间及动物对种子种类的偏好等因素的影响。结果表明,经过1a实验,8种落叶阔叶树种子的累计取食概率为0～48．25％,平均值为20％;山顶部位的取食概率大致是其它部位概率的3倍;埋放在凋落物层中的种子被食概率大约为埋放在土壤层中概率的2倍。利用logistic回归模型进行统计分析表明,种子被食概率变化的45％可以被上述因素解释。其中,物种偏好是影响种子被取食概率的首要因素,其后依次是地形、埋藏时间和深度。啮齿类明显喜好较大的种子;其取食行为在山脊部位明显较其它部位更频繁和剧烈;对埋藏种子的取食从3月份开始加剧,到7月份以后平息下来。种子埋放深度对啮齿类的取食概率有显著影响。     

Deceptive fruits reduce seed predation by insects inPistacia terebinthus L. (Anacardiaceae)

Summary The production of seedless fruits (parthenocarpy) is not yet understood from an evolutionary viewpoint, even though it is taxonomically widespread. Here I present a case in which parthenocarpy reduces the incidence of seed predation by insects. At least the first generation of chalcidoid wasps that oviposit in the fruits ofPistacia terebinthus L. (Anacardiaceae) cannot discriminate among viable and inviable fruits, allocating energy and time to oviposition on fruits that are not suitable for larval development.     

The role of pre- and post-dispersal seed predation in determining total seed loss

Most seed predation studies focus on either pre- or post-dispersal predation and may therefore underestimate the role of predation in regulating plant populations. We therefore estimated total seed predation of an invasive tree, mesquite (Leguminoseae: Prosopis spp.), by examining the entire seed pool from tree to seed bank. The spatio-temporal dynamics of total seed predation was examined by sampling across its Australian distribution and through time. The main predator was a host-specialist multivoltine beetle, Algarobius prosopis L. (Bruchidae), previously introduced as a biocontrol agent. Seed predation exceeded 20% in all seed stages (in pods on and off the tree, and seeds within woody endocarps (capsules) and free seeds on and in the ground) but was consistently highest in capsules on the ground (up to 90%). Pre-dispersal predation contributed little. Total seed predation rates were primarily determined by predation rates on the most persistent seed stage, in this case fallen pods if only pods are considered and seeds in capsules for the total seed pool. This pattern was consistent across the surveyed taxa, regions, years and seasonally. Predation rate was relatively unaffected by seed density, potentially because densities were always low (<150 seeds m⁻²). Average total seed predation within a region reached 55%, but we conclude that any population regulation of mesquite by seed predation will principally be through reduced seed bank persistence. Our results highlight the need to consider the entire seed pool, especially the often cryptic and overlooked long-lived stages, when determining seed loss to predation and its likely population consequences.     

Evidence for secondary seed dispersal by rodents in Panama

Summary The data presented show thatVirola nobilis (Myristicaceae), a bird/mammal-dispersed tree species in Panama, may also be dispersed by a terrestrial rodent, the agouti (Dasyprocta punctata). Using a thread-marking method, we observed that agoutis scatterhoardedV. nobilis seeds that they found both singly or in clumps. Seed removal and seed burial rates were strongly affected by features of forest habitats, such asV. nobilis tree richness (rich vs poor) and/or forest age (old vs young), but not by seed dispersal treatment (scattered vs clumped). Predation (mostly post-dispersal) of unburied seeds by weevils was independent of habitat and dispersal treatment. Seeds artificially buried in aVirola-rich area were more likely to escape predation and become established than unburied seeds under natural conditions. The food reward for agoutis is in the germinating seedlings. The seed dispersal syndrome ofV. nobilis involves long- and short-distance dispersers which both appear important for tree recruitment.     

啮齿动物捕食和搬运蒙古栎种子对种群更新的影响

2010-2011年,在东北林业大学城市林业示范基地研究了啮齿动物对蒙古栎种子的捕食和搬运。结果表明,蒙古栎种子捕食率在年际间无显著差异,但2010年的蒙古栎种子搬运率显著高于2011年,存留率显著低于2011年。啮齿动物在胡桃楸林、樟子松林、水曲柳林和白桦林内对蒙古栎种子的总捕食率和总搬运率分别达到(5.7±13.5)%和(27.1±37.1)%。蒙古栎种子在樟子松林内的捕食率和搬运率均最高,胡桃楸林内蒙古栎种子存留率最高;2010年蒙古栎种子在与蒙古栎林边缘距离0,10,20,30,40,50m组间的捕食率无显著差异,搬运率和存留率有显著差异,但2011年蒙古栎种子在不同距离组间的捕食率呈显著差异,搬运率和存留率无显著差异。与蒙古栎林边缘距离20m处蒙古栎种子的捕食率最高。2010年和2011年,分别有(37.8±49.7)%和(27.7±49.8)%的蒙古栎种子被啮齿动物利用,这表明啮齿动物是林业示范基地内蒙古栎地表种子的主要捕食者。冬季食物匮乏秋季贮藏种子是造成啮齿动物对蒙古栎种子有较大捕食、扩散压力的主要原因。因此,啮齿动物对蒙古栎种子的捕食和搬运影响了蒙古栎林的种群更新。     

Development and structure of the comose seeds ofHillia (Rubiaceae)

The hairs at the apical end of the seeds ofHillia are pluriseriate, multicellular structures. The cells making up a hair are elongated exotesta cells and, consequently, also have secondary thickenings identical (H. parasitica) or similar (H. costanensis) to those found on the exotesta cells on the main body of the seeds. Hair formation already starts in bud stage: at and around the chalazal region of an ovule, integument epidermis cells are grouped together to form ± elongated packets of 4–7 cells. The cells of each packet undergo further elongation and anticlinal division so that a hair on a mature seed may be up to c. 30 mm long. Basally, the seeds have a tail- to ± wing-like appendage, made up of only two cell layers, the exotesta of the ab- and adaxial side of the seed. This basal appendage shows the same anatomical structure as the wings of various anemochorous rubiaceous seeds. Although seed hairs of this kind are unique in theRubiaceae and — from the point of development and structure — not homologous to exotesta wings, the presence of a basal wing-like appendage suggests thatHillia, previously often placed into a tribe of its own (Hillieae), can be accommodated in theCinchoneae, a tribe in which winged, anemochorous seeds predominate. The tufts of hairs of the comose seeds ofHillia look superficially similar to those of certainAsclepiadaceae andApocynaceae (like theRubiaceae belonging to the orderGentianales). Comparisons based on literature data, however, reveal that there are striking differences in the position, development and structure of the hairs (produced at the micropylar end, initiated after fertilization, hairs unicellular, etc.).     

Pre-dispersal seed predation reduces the reproductive compensatory advantage of thrum individuals in Erythroxylum havanense (Erythroxylaceae)

Male-sterility mutations in hermaphroditic species represent the first step in the evolution of gender specialization. Male-sterile individuals commonly compensate the loss of the male function by increasing the number or quality of seeds. Because the magnitude of compensation determines the maintenance of females within populations and the evolution of sexual specialization, plant-animal interactions may affect these evolutionary processes if animals are sensitive to such reproductive asymmetries. Here we explore the effect of seed predation on the reproductive compensation of Erythroxylum havanense, a distylous shrub with morph-biased partial male sterility, during two consecutive years. Seed predation reduced the compensatory advantage of thrums in 1987, but not in 1988. Annual differences in the intensity of seed predation seem to be accounted for differences in the onset and synchrony of flowering. Thus, although seed predators may reduce the compensatory advantage of thrums, their impact is modulated by the environmental cues triggering flowering and insect emergence.     

Pre- and postdispersal seed predation by rodents: balance of food and safety

Seed presentation and availability for seed predators changeduring every plant reproductive cycle. We know very little abouthow those changes impinge on both the ability of seed predatorsto impact plant populations and the foraging costs associatedwith seed consumption. Therefore, we conducted several fieldexperiments to evaluate whether wood mice Apodemus sylvaticusbalance food and safety while foraging on Helleborus foetidusseeds during both the pre- and early postdispersal phases ofthe plant reproductive cycle. Both food and safety were keydeterminants of mouse foraging on H. foetidus seeds, thoughtheir roles were not consistent along the plant reproductivecycle. Thus, augmenting ambient food reduced fruit removal bymice during the predispersal phase. During the postdispersalphase, seeds in sheltered microsites experienced higher removalrates than those located in nonsheltered microsites; however,no effect of food augmentation was detected. This apparent reversedrole of food and safety on decision making by mice seemed closelylinked to both the dramatic changes in accessibility and presentationof H. foetidus seeds and the coupled changing foraging costsfaced by mice at different phases of the plant reproductivecycle. For instance, because the cost of foraging for predispersalseeds was higher than for postdispersal seeds, the effect offood augmentation on foraging by wood mice was greater duringthe predispersal phase. Thus, our study illustrates the needof considering differences between pre- and postdispersal seedpredation in the study of granivore rodents and their impacton plant populations.