A keystone ant species promotes seed dispersal in a "diffuse" mutualism
A keystone ant species promotes seed dispersal in a "diffuse" mutualism
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DOI：
10.1007/s00442-007-0756-5
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发表时间：
2007-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Dunn, Robert R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gove, Aaron D.;Majer, Jonathan D.;Dunn, Robert R.
为了理解协同进化的动力学，重要的是要考虑相互作用动力学中的空间变化。我们研究了蚂蚁的活动，多样性和物种身份在蚂蚁种子传播互惠在当地，区域和大陆尺度的相对重要性。我们还研究了种子传播速率和传播距离的决定因素，在八个地点在Eneabba沙原（29.63 S，115.22 E），澳大利亚西部，了解当地的变化，种子传播速率和距离。为了测试的一般性的结论来自当地的8个网站，我们建立了16个网站沿着1650公里的样带在澳大利亚西部，覆盖11度的纬度和6倍的降雨量增加，在那里我们采样的蚂蚁组合，估计蚂蚁物种丰富度和蚂蚁活动，并观察myrmecochorous种子的去除率。我们还评估了蚂蚁物种的身份在大陆范围内的重要性，通过审查在澳大利亚各地进行的研究，研究蚂蚁种子传播。在8个砂原灌丛网站，蚂蚁物种的身份，特别是一个属，Rhytidoponera的存在下，与最分散和高于平均分散距离。在景观尺度上，斑角蚁的存在是种子去除率的最重要的决定因素，而种子去除率与蚂蚁物种丰富度和纬度呈负相关。大多数蚂蚁种子清除研究在澳大利亚各地进行加强我们的观察，Rhytidoponera物种是特别重要的种子传播。有人建议，表面上扩散互惠可能在很大程度上取决于特定合作伙伴的身份。即使在大的地理尺度上，被认为是扩散互惠的时间和空间变化往往与特定伙伴的丰度变化有关，与伙伴的多样性只有微弱或负相关。
In order to understand the dynamics of co-evolution it is important to consider spatial variation in interaction dynamics. We examined the relative importance of ant activity, diversity and species identity in an ant seed dispersal mutualism at local, regional and continental scales. We also studied the determinants of seed dispersal rates and dispersal distances at eight sites in the Eneabba sandplain (29.63 S, 115.22 E), western Australia to understand local variation in seed dispersal rate and distance. To test the generality of the conclusions derived from the eight local sites, we established 16 sites along a 1650-km transect in western Australia, covering 11 degrees of latitude and a six-fold increase in rainfall, at which we sampled the ant assemblage, estimated ant species richness and ant activity and observed the removal rate of myrmecochorous seeds. We also assessed the importance of ant species identity at a continental scale via a review of studies carried out throughout Australia which examined ant seed dispersal. Among the eight sandplain shrubland sites, ant species identity, in particular the presence of one genus, Rhytidoponera, was associated with the most dispersal and above average dispersal distances. At the landscape scale, Rhytidoponera presence was the most important determinant of seed removal rate, while seed removal rate was negatively correlated with ant species richness and latitude. Most ant seed removal studies carried out throughout Australia reinforce our observations that Rhytidoponera species were particularly important seed dispersers. It is suggested that superficially diffuse mutualisms may depend greatly on the identity of particular partners. Even at large biogeographic scales, temporal and spatial variation in what are considered to be diffuse mutualisms may often be linked to variation in the abundance of particular partners, and be only weakly - or negatively - associated with the diversity of partners.