BIO330H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Myrmecophily, Germination, Tangled
Document Summary
Occasionally animals get tangled and die because plant contains adhesive surfaces; grooming cost. No direct benefit to disperser at all: internal: often fruit is a reward, caching: seed is the reward for seed predators like jays, squirrels (partially predatory) May rely on sheer numbers; producing relatively small seeds in. Vast quantities so that at least one or two will survive and germinate. Most mortality in plants happen at seed stage. May also rely on dormancy (dispersal in time) Most seeds land close to the parent. Seed rain from local plants dominates in most communities. So most plant germinate from local seeds. Long-range dispersal is a relatively rare event, but important to spread. The single biggest dispersal category is 0m from source, under the tree. Usually a rare seed that actually moves a long way. Seed rain = number of seeds that fall to the ground.
