Towards an optimal sampling effort for paternity analysis in forest trees: what do the raw numbers tell us?
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Abstract:
The ever-increasing use of paternity analysis to estimate the dispersal capability of forest trees calls for a quantitative evaluation of potential errors due to sampling design. Previous studies on optimal sampling strategies for seed trapping experiments suggested a link between sampling effort and error rate in the reconstruction of the seed dispersal kernel. We considered 92 papers on paternity analysis to quantitatively assess the sampling strategy used to study the characteristics of pollen dispersal patterns (pollen immigration rate, distribution of male reproductive success and estimates of pollen dispersal kernel parameters). For each studied stand we report data on the sampling effort (the total number of sampled seeds, the number of mother trees and the number of seeds per mother tree) and additional information on the studied species and characteristics of the sampling areas. The reviewed papers used a median of 8 mother trees (acting as pollen traps in paternity analysis studies), a median of 29 seeds per mother tree and a median of 240 total sampled seeds. These are values (especially the number of mother trees) lower than usually found in classical seed trapping studies, for which accuracy and precision of seed dispersal estimates had already been assessed. These findings underline the need of evaluating the consequences of realistic sampling efforts on the estimation of parameters describing the pollen dispersal pattern to provide the basis for meaningful guidelines to paternity analysis.Keywords:
Tree (set theory)
Systematic sampling
Abstract Three sampling techniques were used to determine how pollen concentrations obtained from atmospheric sampling devices compare to pollen concentrations in the home environment. Burkard pollen samplers were placed on rooftops at 4 locations in Tucson, Az. (USA) to sample regional atmospheric pollen; nearby, Rotorod® (rotorod) samplers collected atmospheric pollen in the home environment at 55 locations for 3 consecutive days during each season. Pollen concentrations from rotorod and Burkard traps show that pollen is rare inside homes and only occurs when pollen production is high. No differences in pollen concentration were found between rooms of any home, and frontyards generally had higher pollen concentrations than backyards. Pollen concentrations near homes were generally lower than regional pollen concentrations. Correlations were low even though pollen taxa were similar. Floor sweepings from homes contained pollen concentrations as high as 5.5 million pollen grains/g house dust. We conclude that little or no pollen gets inside houses through atmospheric transport. Pollen is most likely carried into the houses on the feet and bodies of people and pets.
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Seed dispersal has long been an object of fascination to biologists and the general public alike. Examples abound of structures that have clearly evolved to promote dispersal by wind or on the outside or inside of animals, but it is only recently that attention has turned to the question of just how well these structures work and what happens to the seeds of all those species (the majority) with no obvious adaptations for dispersal. Few things in seed ecology have changed more in recent years than our understanding of seed dispersal.
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Seed dispersal is the movement or transport of seeds away from the parent individuals in some ways to germinate and then settle seedling in appropriate habitats.The ways of seed dispersal are divided into active and passive type,and the latter way includes wind dispersal,water dispersal,animal dispersal and human action dispersal.The dispersal ways of plant seeds are suitable to its living environment to a large extent,and the plants in different habitats have adapted to their ways of seed dispersal,and morphological and structural characteristics of seeds are often matched its dispersal way.In the long-term,co-evolution,a symbiotic relationship,was formed between plant and animals of dispersing seeds,which is of great importance to maintain the structure and stability of community.
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Seed dispersal is a fundamental process in the lifecycle of all flowering plants. Many plant species have evolved specialist associations with biotic vectors to facilitate dispersal. Such specialised interactions mean that these associations are potentially highly sensitive to disruption, e.g. from invasive species. However, despite this threat we still understand remarkably little about how such perturbations affect the dynamics and efficiency of the seed-dispersal process. In this study we quantify the impacts of an invasive ant across three key phases of the seed dispersal process: seed removal, distribution and placement, in order to determine the stages of seed dispersal most vulnerable to disruption by invaders. Using the Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) as a model, we show that invaded sites exhibited a significant decrease in seed dispersal services across all three phases of the dispersal process, relative to non-invaded sites. Seeds dispersed in invaded sites were: (a) less likely to be transported; (b) potentially distributed over a smaller spatial area, and (c) less likely to be placed at soil depths favourable for germination and establishment compared to those dispersed in non-invaded sites. These results reveal that ant-mediated seed dispersal services are significantly reduced by an invasive species at multiple stages in the dispersal process. Reductions in the efficacy of seed dispersal, combined with shifts in the ecological and geographical patterns of dispersal, may lead to cascading impacts on plant species composition and community structure. This study shows how an invasive ant can affect seed dispersal at several stages in the dispersal process.
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Little is known about how patterns and mechanisms of seed dispersal vary among different habitats. To address this we studied Rhinanthus minor , a grassland annual herb, in four environments: early or late hay cutting, grazing by sheep, and no management. Comprehensive measures were made of dispersal, by intensive seed trapping up to 25 m from source plants and in four directions. We found large differences in dispersal among the environments in terms of curve shape, maximum distance and directionality. Dispersal was shortest under grazing (maximum distance 0.9 m) and furthest under the early cut (19.1 m). Dispersal differences reflect the mechanisms of dispersal in each environment. Dispersal was by wind under no management, and by the mowing machinery under an early cut, whereas a late cut produced a combination of dispersal by wind and the machinery. Grazing hindered dispersal, through trampling of plants. Additional measures of seed mass supported the hypothesis of a negative seed size vs dispersal distance relationship and suggested its generality across a range of environments. Understanding the variation in dispersal patterns among environments may allow increased realism of spatial models.
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