Dissertation Research: Dispersal Distance, Deposition Site,and Survivorship of Cassowary-Dispersed Seeds

论文研究：食火鸡传播种子的传播距离、沉积地点和存活率

基本信息

批准号：
8900399
负责人：
Theodore Fleming
金额：
$ 1.1万
依托单位：
University of Miami
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
1989
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
1989-07-01 至 1991-06-30
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8900399&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Dissertation Research Dispersal Distance Deposition

项目摘要

Zoochory is the predominant dispersal syndrome in most tropical forests. Few studies directly address what selective advantages tropical plants gain from zoochory or what the demographic effects of frugivore-mediated seed dispersal are to tropical trees. The paucity of empirical data on tropical zoochory after removal stems from the extreme difficulty of finding seeds where they have been deposited by frugivorous dispersers. Seed dispersal by cassowaries is an ideal system for study because cassowaries are specialist frugivores, virtually the sole disperser for many large-seeded trees and lianas, and are commonly found in the vast undisturbed forests of New Guinea. Most importantly, their droppings which contain dispersed seeds are numerous and conspicuous at the study site. Seeds will be marked with tags or small radio-transmitters before cassowaries disperse them. Tagged seeds found in visual searches and transmitter-seeds found by radio tracking will reveal dispersal distances, including those seeds carried long distances. Within- dropping parameters (e.g. parameters (e.g. insolation) will be measured for every dropping found. Droppings will be monitored up to three years for germination, seedling growth, and survivorship. The effects of within-dropping parameters and site parameters on germination, growth and survivorship of seedlings will be analyzed. Data on dispersal distances, within-dropping parameters and site parameters will be pooled in probability matrices to test published hypotheses regarding the consequences of vertebrate mediated seed dispersal. In the second half of the study the effects of dispersal will be experimentally examined. Seeds voided by a captive cassowary to make "pseudo-droppings" to test hypotheses based on observations of naturally-dispersed seeds will be used.

在大多数热带森林中，动物学是主要的分散综合征。很少有研究直接解决了热带植物从动物学中获得哪些选择性优势，或者奶节介导的种子分散的人口统计学影响是对热带树的。去除后热带动物学的经验数据的匮乏源于发现种子被奶油沉积的种子沉积的极端困难。木薯种子分散是一个理想的研究系统，因为木薯是专家节食者，实际上是许多大种子树和叶的唯一分散剂，并且通常在新几内亚的广阔未受扰动的森林中发现。最重要的是，它们包含分散种子的粪便在研究地点很明显。在木薯散布之前，种子将用标签或小型放射传播者标记。在视觉搜索和通过无线电跟踪发现的发射器种子中发现的标记种子将揭示分散距离，包括那些携带的种子。内部降低参数（例如，将对发现的每个掉落的参数（例如参数（例如，沉积）。将监控粪便最多要监视发芽，幼苗生长和生存的三年，以内部参数和现场参数对播种的群体及其范围的参数的效果。在研究后期，在研究的概率矩阵中，将对脊椎动物介导的种子扩散的后果进行实验检查。