Sponsor
This research was funded in part by a grant from the Ford Foundation to Earlham College, and from additional funds provided by the College
Published In
Ecology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1989
Subjects
Insect-plant relationships, Ants -- Ecology, Seeds -- Dispersal
Abstract
Two co—occurring deciduous forest myrmecochores, Asarum canadense and Jeffersonia diphylla, release their seeds at approximately the same time, and therefore potentially compete for ants as dispersers. Within a single woodlot, we placed seeds of both species inside a dense Jeffersonia population away from Asarum plants, inside a dense Asarum population away from Jeffersonia plants, and in a site where plants of neither species occurred. No preference was exhibited by ants where natural populations were absent. Preference at the other two sites was frequency dependent: ants preferred seeds of the introduced species. Species preferred by ants have higher seed and seedling survival because by being carried into ant nests they escape predation and avoid nutrient deficiency. Implications of frequency—dependent dispersal are discussed.
Rights
Copyright by the Ecological Society of America
DOI
10.2307/1938098
Persistent Identifier
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/12357
Citation Details
Brent H. Smith, Catherine E. deRivera, Cara Lin Bridgman, and John J. Woida 1989. Frequency-Dependent Seed Dispersal by Ants of Two Deciduous Forest Herbs. Ecology 70:1645–1648.
Included in
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons, Plant Sciences Commons
Description
This is the publisher's final PDF. This article was originally published in Ecology and can be found online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1938098