title: Are gastropods, rather than ants, important dispersers of seeds of myrmecochorous forest herbs?
abstract: Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) is widespread, and seed adaptations to myrmecochory are common, especially in the form of fatty appendices (elaiosomes). In a recent study, slugs were identified as seed dispersers of myrmecochores in a central European beech forest. Here we used 105 beech forest sites to test whether myrmecochore presence and abundance is related to ant or gastropod abundance and whether experimentally exposed seeds are removed by gastropods. Myrmecochorous plant cover was positively related to gastropod abundance but was negatively related to ant abundance. Gastropods were responsible for most seed removal and elaiosome damage, whereas insects (and rodents) played minor roles. These gastropod effects on seeds were independent of region or forest management. We suggest that terrestrial gastropods can generally act as seed dispersers of myrmecochorous plants and even substitute myrmecochory, especially where ants are absent or uncommon.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology, Friedrich Schiller University, D-07743 Jena, Germany. manfred.tuerke@gmx.net
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Türke
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Andreas
authors.forename: Martin M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gossner
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kowalski
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boch
authors.forename: Stephanie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Socher
authors.forename: Jörg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prati
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meyhöfer
authors.forename: Wolfgang W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Weisser
mesh_terms: D031883:Anemone / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000502:physiology*; D030023:Asarum / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D029964:Fagus; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D020387:Food Chain; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000502:physiology*; D005858:Germany; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012621:Seasons; D058614:Seed Dispersal; D013045:Species Specificity