1987/12/01 by Masashi Ohara, Seigo Higashi · 80 citations
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Biological dispersal #Biology #Botany #Ecology #Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior #Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases #Plant and animal studies #Population #Seed dispersal
paper · doi:10.2307/2260316
published in Journal of Ecology 75(4), 1091 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 1987/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
(1) Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) was observed in populations of Trillium kamtschaticum and T. tschonoskii. In both populations, main agents of seed dispersal were Aphaenogaster smythiesijaponica and Myrmica ruginodiv, and the dispersal distance was 3 30 m (maximum) and 0 60 m on the average. (2) The seed removal frequency was only about 15%0, and the other 85 %X, of seeds were left near the mother plants, though all of them lost elaiosomes. (3) This loss was due to nocturnal ground beetles [Carabus arboreus, Aptomoterus japonicus (Carabinae), Pterostichus thunbergi, Synuchus melantho (Harpalinae), Silpha perforata venatoria (Silphidae) and Geotrupes laevistriatus (Scarabaeidae)] which were more active than ants at night and devoured the elaiosomes without transporting the seeds. (4) The seeds with the damaged elaiosomes usually did not attract ants. Thus, the ingestion of the elaiosomes by the ground beetles may cause a previously reported clumping of seedlings near fertile plants.