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The ecological significance of secondary seed dispersal by carnivores

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dc.contributor.authorHämäläinen, Anni
dc.contributor.authorBroadley, Kate
dc.contributor.authorDroghini, Amanda
dc.contributor.authorHaines, Jessica A.
dc.contributor.authorLamb, Clayton T.
dc.contributor.authorBoutin, Stan
dc.contributor.authorGilbert, Sophie L.
dc.date.accessioned2021-05-25
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-31T01:43:42Z
dc.date.available2022-05-31T01:43:42Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractAnimals play an important role in the seed dispersal of many plants. It is increasingly recognized, however, that the actions of a single disperser rarely determine a seed's fate and final location; rather, multiple abiotic or animal dispersal vectors are involved. Some carnivores act as secondary dispersers by preying on primary seed dispersers or seed predators, inadvertently consuming seeds contained in their prey's digestive tracts and later depositing viable seeds, a process known as diploendozoochory. Carnivores occupy an array of ecological niches and thus range broadly on the landscape. Consequently, secondary seed dispersal by carnivores could have important consequences for plant dispersal outcomes, with implications for ecosystem functioning under a changing climate and across disturbed landscapes where dispersal may be otherwise limited. For example, trophic downgrading through the loss of carnivores may reduce or eliminate diploendozoochory and thus compromise population connectivity for lower trophic levels. We review the literature on diploendozoochory and conclude that the ecological impact of a secondary vs. primary seed disperser depends on the relative dispersal distances, germination success, and the proportion of seeds exposed to secondary dispersal by carnivores. None of the studies up to present day have been able to rigorously assess the ecological significance of this process. We provide a framework of the components that determine the significance of diploendozoochory across systems and identify the components that must be addressed in future studies attempting to assess the ecological importance of diploendozoochory.
dc.format.extent1.55MB
dc.format.mimetypePDF
dc.identifier.citationHamalainen, A., Broadley, K., Droghini, A., Haines, J. A., Lamb, C., Boutin, S., & Gilbert, S. (2017). The ecological significance of secondary seed dispersal by carnivores. Ecosphere 8(2):e01685. DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1685
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.1685
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14078/2293
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAttribution (CC BY)
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectclimate change
dc.subjectdiplochory
dc.subjectdiploendozoochory
dc.subjectfragmentation
dc.subjectindirect dispersal
dc.subjectinvasive species
dc.subjectpolychory
dc.subjectpredator
dc.subjectsecondary dispersal
dc.subjectseed dispersal
dc.titleThe ecological significance of secondary seed dispersal by carnivoresen
dc.typeArticle

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