Search results for " seed dispersal"

The loss of dispersal on islands hypothesis revisited: Implementing phylogeography to investigate evolution of dispersal traits in Periploca (Apocyna…

2017

Aim: The loss of dispersal on islands hypothesis (LDIH) posits that wind-dispersed plants should exhibit reduced dispersal potential, particularly if island populations are old. In this study, we tested this hypothesis using a detailed phylogeographical framework across different geographical scales. Location: Mainland and island areas of the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions, including Macaronesia (Canary Islands and Cape Verde) and Mediterranean islands in the strait of Sicily. Methods: Forty-five populations of Periploca laevigata, a wind-dispersed shrub, were sampled. Plastid and nuclear microsatellite data were used to reconstruct spatio-temporal patterns of island colonization, and e…

Plant-animal seed dispersal interactions as key drivers of ecological restoration in a changing world

2022

Many global and European commitments state the need to plant billions of trees and restore millions of hectares of degraded ecosystems to contrast biodiversity loss, desertification and climate change. Seed dispersal is a crucial process promoting vegetation dynamics, and in the Mediterranean, up to 65% of woody plant species need animals for seed dispersal. Therefore, such mutualistic ecological interaction represents a key nature-based solution to help us reaching our commitments. In this presentation first we will report the strong expansion rate and correlated finescale spatio-temporal patterns of woody natural regeneration over a pastureland, using a spatially-explicit framework deploy…

Flower and fruit structure of the endangered species Petagnaea gussonei (Sprengel) Rauschert (Saniculoideae, Apiaceae) and implications for its repro…

2015

Petagnaea gussonei (Apiaceae) is an endangered species endemic to the Nebrodi mountains (north-eastern Sicily). Although an increasing number of studies have been performed on this species, its reproductive biology remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate in detail the structure of the flower and the fruit of Petagnaea, and the possible implications for its breeding system and seed dispersal mechanism. Results from fieldwork, light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy suggest (1) the presence of protandrous hermaphrodite flowers; (2) geitonogamy, autogamy, and allogamy as breeding system mechanisms of P. gussonei, even if asexual reproduction is preferred b…

The naturalization of the almond Prunus dulcis in different ecological contexts in the Mediterranean: An underestimated process?

2022

Although Prunus dulcis has been frequently listed in non-native floras all around the world, its naturalization has been rarely studied in the field. Probably, because this species has generally invaded synanthropic habitats. We assessed the density of natural regeneration of almond, biometric parameters (height and basal stem diameter), and the distribution in life stage classes in three different ecological contexts in Sicily (Mediterranean Italy): one natural habitat (maquis), one pine afforestation and two prickly pear orchards. We recorded 236 naturally regenerating almond individuals, with density ranging from 140 individuals per hectare (prickly pear orchard 1) up to 2,400 individual…

Dryland vegetation pattern dynamics driven by inertial effects and secondary seed dispersal

2022

This manuscript tackles the study of vegetation pattern dynamics driven by inertial effects and secondary seed dispersal. To achieve this goal, an hyperbolic extension of the classical parabolic Klausmeier model of vegetation, generally used to predict the formation of banded vegetation along the slopes of semiarid environments, has been here considered together with an additional advective term mimicking the downslope motion of seeds. Linear stability analyses have been carried out to inspect the dependence of the wave instability locus on the model parameters, with particular emphasis on the role played by inertial time and seed advection speed. Moreover, periodic travelling wave solution…

Vegetation Patterns in the Hyperbolic Klausmeier Model with Secondary Seed Dispersal

2023

This work focuses on the dynamics of vegetation stripes in sloped semi-arid environments in the presence of secondary seed dispersal and inertial effects. To this aim, a hyperbolic generalization of the Klausmeier model that encloses the advective downhill transport of plant biomass is taken into account. Analytical investigations were performed to deduce the wave and Turing instability loci at which oscillatory and stationary vegetation patterns arise, respectively. Additional information on the possibility of predicting a null-migrating behavior was extracted with suitable approximations of the dispersion relation. Numerical simulations were also carried out to corroborate theoretical pre…

The role of plant-animal and plant-plant interactions in vegetation dynamics and ecological restoration in a Mediterranean landscape

Functional Redundancy and Complementarities of Seed Dispersal by the Last Neotropical Megafrugivores

2013

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:28:22Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:42:48Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-84873586375.pdf: 1508075 bytes, checksum: 7e697f6c67a83195e9b0cb525355980e (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:28:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013-02-07 Background: Functional redundancy has been debated largely in ecology and conservation, yet we lack detailed empirical studies on the roles of functionally similar species in ecosystem function. Large bodied frugivores may disperse similar plant species and have strong impact on plant recruitment in tropical forests. Th…