Pre-dispersal predation effect on seed packaging strategies and seed viability.

Details

Serval ID
serval:BIB_F6CA534CBDBC
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Pre-dispersal predation effect on seed packaging strategies and seed viability.
Journal
Oecologia
Author(s)
DeSoto L., Tutor D., Torices R., Rodríguez-Echeverría S., Nabais C.
ISSN
1432-1939 (Electronic)
ISSN-L
0029-8549
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2016
Volume
180
Number
1
Pages
91-102
Language
english
Abstract
An increased understanding of intraspecific seed packaging (i.e. seed size/number strategy) variation across different environments may improve current knowledge of the ecological forces that drive seed evolution in plants. In particular, pre-dispersal seed predation may influence seed packaging strategies, triggering a reduction of the resources allocated to undamaged seeds within the preyed fruits. Assessing plant reactions to pre-dispersal seed predation is crucial to a better understanding of predation effects, but the response of plants to arthropod attacks remains unexplored. We have assessed the effect of cone predation on the size and viability of undamaged seeds in populations of Juniperus thurifera with contrasting seed packaging strategies, namely, North African populations with single-large-seeded cones and South European populations with multi-small-seeded cones. Our results show that the incidence of predation was lower on the single-large-seeded African cones than on the multi-small-seeded European ones. Seeds from non-preyed cones were also larger and had a higher germination success than uneaten seeds from preyed cones, but only in populations with multi-seeded cones and in cones attacked by Trisetacus sp., suggesting a differential plastic response to predation. It is possible that pre-dispersal seed predation has been a strong selective pressure in European populations with high cone predation rates, being a process which maintains multi-small-seeded cones and empty seeds as a strategy to save some seeds from predation. Conversely, pre-dispersal predation might not have a strong effect in the African populations with single-large-seeded cones characterized by seed germination and filling rates higher than those in the European populations. Our results indicate that differences in pre-dispersal seed predators and predation levels may affect both selection on and intraspecific variation in seed packaging.
Keywords
Juniperus thurifera, Seed number, Seed size, Deceptive fruits
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
28/01/2016 14:39
Last modification date
20/08/2019 16:23
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