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- Title
Seed- vs. microsite-limited recruitment in a myrmecochorous herb.
- Authors
Rey, Pedro J.; Ramírez, José M.; Sánchez-Lafuente, Alfonso M.
- Abstract
Dispersal in myrmecochorous herbs is frequently short-distance and this might limit patch occupancy. Here we ask whether recruitment and patch occupancy in the myrmecochere Helleborus foetidus are seed- or microsite-limited and what role dispersal plays in recruitment limitation. In pine forests from two widely separated mountain systems in the Iberian Peninsula, we performed two seed addition experiments to explore the nature of recruitment limitation in this perennial herb. In an introduction experiment, we added seeds in patches far from reproductive individuals, which rarely receive any seed. In an augmentation experiment, we added seeds in patches beneath reproductive plants. Each experiment considered three main factors: seed addition (added or not added), rodent exclusion (excluded or not excluded), and microhabitat (scrub-covered or not scrub-covered). The augmentation experiment tests whether recruitment is limited by seed availability (exploring also the possible role of rodent granivory in such limitation) while the introduction experiment tests whether the empty patches occur either because they are unsuitable for the species (microsite limitation) or due to a low probability of seed arrival (dispersal limitation). Adding seeds almost always increased seedling emergence and recruitment, demonstrating that recruitment in this species is seed-limited and refuting the possibility of microsite limitation. The comparison of the introduction and augmentation experiments indicated that Helleborus recruitment dynamics and patch occupancy are constrained by additive effects of fecundity and dispersal limitation.
- Subjects
IBERIAN Peninsula; HERBS; SEEDS; HELLEBORES; PERENNIALS
- Publication
Plant Ecology, 2006, Vol 184, Issue 2, p213
- ISSN
1385-0237
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11258-005-9066-3