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- Title
Endozoochorous seed dispersal potential of grey geese Anser spp. in Hortobágy National Park, Hungary.
- Authors
Tóth, Katalin; Bogyó, Dávid; Valkó, Orsolya
- Abstract
Recent studies found that endozoochorous seed dispersal by waterfowl is an important dispersal strategy for numerous plants. With a germination experiment, we evaluated the endozoochorous dispersal potential of the endangered Lesser White-fronted Goose (LWfG, Anser erythropus) and larger goose species ( A. anser and A. albifrons) in their autumn and spring staging areas (Hortobágy, East Hungary). We tested the following hypotheses: (1) the amount and species composition of germinable seeds in the droppings of the habitat specialist LWfG and generalist larger goose species have a different species composition, (2) droppings contain less germinable seeds and less species in spring than in autumn, when most species disperse their seeds. We collected droppings of LWfG and larger goose species in their feeding habitats in spring and autumn staging areas. Droppings were concentrated and germinated on trays filled with steam-sterilised soil in a greenhouse. LWfG dispersed more species typical to alkali habitats and lower amounts of weeds compared to larger goose species, which confirmed our first hypothesis. We recorded higher total species numbers and species number of annuals, wetland species and weeds in autumn, which supported our second hypothesis. We found that the studied goose species used a wide range of feeding habitats; thus, they can play an important role in dispersing seeds between a range of habitats which they use for feeding. Based on the seed content of the droppings, LWfG is confined to natural habitats; thus, for the effective protection of this vulnerable species, it is crucial to preserve natural feeding habitats in their staging areas.
- Subjects
SEED dispersal by birds; GERMINATION; LESSER white-fronted goose; GREYLAG goose; WHITE-fronted goose; COMPOSITION of seeds; ANIMAL dropping analysis
- Publication
Plant Ecology, 2016, Vol 217, Issue 8, p1015
- ISSN
1385-0237
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11258-016-0627-4