Artículo
Role of small rodents in the seed dispersal process: Microcavia australis consuming Prosopis flexuosa fruits
Campos, Claudia Monica
; Campos, Valeria Evelin
; Giannoni, Stella Maris
; Rodriguez, Maria Daniela
; Albanese, María Soledad
; Cona, Monica Ines
Fecha de publicación:
02/2017
Editorial:
Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc
Revista:
Austral Ecology
ISSN:
1442-9985
Idioma:
Inglés
Tipo de recurso:
Artículo publicado
Clasificación temática:
Resumen
Understanding the functional role of animal species in seed dispersal is central to determining how biotic interactions could be affected by anthropogenic drivers. In the Monte Desert, mammals play different functional roles in Prosopis flexuosa seed dispersal, acting as opportunistic frugivores (endozoochorous medium-sized and large mammals) or seed hoarders (some small sigmodontine rodents). Our objective was assessing the functional role of Microcavia australis, a small hystricognathi rodent, in the fruit removal and seed deposition stages of P. flexuosa seed dispersal, compared to sympatric sigmodontine rodents. In situ, we quantified fruit removal by small rodents during non-fruiting and fruiting periods, and determined the distance seeds were transported, particularly by M. australis. In laboratory experiments, we analysed how M. australis stores seeds (through scatter- or larder-hoarding) and how many seeds are left in caches as living seeds, relative to previous data on sigmodontine rodents. To conduct field studies, we established sampling stations under randomly chosen P. flexuosa trees at the Ñacuñán Man and Biosphere Reserve. We analysed fruit removal by small rodents and seed dispersal distance by M. australis using camera traps focused on P. flexuosa fruits covered with wire screen, which only allowed entry of small animals. In laboratory trials, we provided animals with a known number of fruits and assessed seed conditions after removal. Small rodents removed 75.7% of fruit supplied during the non-fruiting period and 53.2% during the fruiting period. Microcavia australis and Graomys griseoflavus were the main fruit removers. Microcavia australis transported seeds to a mean distance of 462 cm and cached seeds mainly in scatter-hoards, similarly as Eligmodontia typus. All transported seeds were left in fruit segments or covered only by the endocarp, never as predated seeds. Microcavia australis disperses P. flexuosa seeds by carrying fruits away from a source to consume them and then by scatter-hoarding fruits and seeds.
Palabras clave:
LARDER-HOARDING
,
RODENT
,
SCATTER-HOARDING
,
SEED DISPERSAL
,
SEED PREDATION
Archivos asociados
Licencia
Identificadores
Colecciones
Articulos(CIGEOBIO)
Articulos de CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES DE LA GEOSFERA Y BIOSFERA
Articulos de CENTRO DE INVESTIGACIONES DE LA GEOSFERA Y BIOSFERA
Articulos(IADIZA)
Articulos de INST. ARG DE INVEST. DE LAS ZONAS ARIDAS
Articulos de INST. ARG DE INVEST. DE LAS ZONAS ARIDAS
Citación
Campos, Claudia Monica; Campos, Valeria Evelin; Giannoni, Stella Maris; Rodriguez, Maria Daniela; Albanese, María Soledad; et al.; Role of small rodents in the seed dispersal process: Microcavia australis consuming Prosopis flexuosa fruits; Wiley Blackwell Publishing, Inc; Austral Ecology; 42; 1; 2-2017; 113-119
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