Dispersal spectra,diaspore size and the importance of endozoochory in the equatorial Andean montane forests |
| |
Authors: | Galo Buitró n-Jurado,Nelson Ramí rez |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Laboratorio de Biología de Organismos, Centro de Ecología, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, Caracas 1020-A, Apartado 2032, Los Altos, Venezuela;2. Centro de Botánica Tropical, Instituto de Biología Experimental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado 48312, Caracas 1041-A, Venezuela |
| |
Abstract: | The dispersal syndrome hypothesis states that plant diaspores show morphological features that are the results of adaptation for dispersal by a particular vector. This can enable to identify the relative importance of dispersal agents within plant communities. Nevertheless, there is still little information about seed dispersal spectra and diaspore traits related to different dispersal agents in the equatorial montane forests, despite their high biodiversity and important ecosystem services as watersheds for human communities. Due to an increase in environmental stress at high elevations a reduction in the prevalence of endozoochory, and a reduction in the size of endozoochorous diaspores in plant assemblages could be expected. We reviewed published data from 64 Andean cloud forest plots to assess the dispersal spectra, the incidence of different traits related to seed dispersal, and the distribution of dispersal syndromes within cloud forests of northern South America. We then evaluated two questions related to seed dispersal in these forests: (1) Does the number and percentage of endozoochorous species in woody plant assemblages decrease at higher elevation? and (2) Does the mean diaspore size of endozoochorously dispersed tree assemblages decrease with elevation? |
| |
Keywords: | Equatorial montane forest Dispersal spectra Endozoochory Fruit types |
本文献已被 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录! |
|