Ant-nest soil and seedling growth in a neotropical ant-dispersed herb |
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Authors: | Carol C. Horvitz Douglas W. Schemske |
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Affiliation: | (1) Department of Biology, The University of Chicago, 5630 South Ingleside, 60637 Chicago, IL, USA;(2) Present address: Biology Department University of Miami, 33124 Coral Gables, FL |
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Abstract: | Summary A major hypothesis concerning the benefits of myrmecochory, seed dispersal by ants, to plants is that ant nests are nutrient-enriched microsites that are beneficial to seedling growth. We experimentally test this hypothesis for a neotropical myrmecochore, Calathea ovandensis, asking two questions: 1) is soil of nests of a seed-dispersing ant chemically or structurally distinct from surrounding soils, and 2) do seedlings grow better in soil collected from ant nests than in randomly collected soil? We found that although ant-nest soil was significantly enriched in nitrate-nitrogen, magnesium, iron, manganese, cadmium and percent organic matter compared to randomly collected soil, seedling growth was not significantly improved by ant-nest soil. |
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Keywords: | Ants Myrmecochory Soil chemistry Calathea, Pachycondyla |
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