TY  - JOUR
A1  - Schulze, Kiowa Alraune
A1  - Buchwald, Rainer
A1  - Heinken, Thilo
T1  - Epizoochory via the hooves - the European bison (Bison bonasus L.) as a dispersal agent of seeds in an open-forest-mosaic
JF  - Tuexenia : Mitteilungen der Floristisch-Soziologischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft
N2  - Large herbivores are significant vectors for the long-distance dispersal of seeds in various habitats, both attached to animals (epizoochory) and via gut passage (endozoochory). The majority of studies on epizoochory have examined dispersal in the fur of domesticated ungulates. Studies on wild ungulates are important to understand dispersal processes in many habitats, but rare due to methodological constraints. We studied epizoochory of seeds by European bison in an open-forest-mosaic (nutrient-poor grassland and heathland, mixed forest) in NW Germany, where bison had been introduced for the purpose of nature conservation. At the study site it was possible to apply a method by which hoof material of free-ranging bison was non-invasively collected. We identified a total of 1082 seeds from 32 plant species in the hoof material. The three most abundant species were Polygonum aviculare, Agrostis capillaris and Betula spp. Seed species originated from various habitat types of the study area, while the majority of seeds derived from trampled areas. Compared to the non-dispersed plant species of the study area, dispersed plant species had a higher seed longevity index, suggesting that many seeds were picked up from the soil seed bank. Epizoochory ranking indices of dispersed seed species, classifying the importance of epizoochory, revealed that transport in the fur may be of minor importance for many species, i.e. epizoochory by the hooves turned out to be negatively correlated to epizoochory in the fur. We conclude that European bison disperses a considerable number of seed species through trampling. Further research should consider epizoochory via the hooves and include integrative approaches to understand the different dispersal mechanisms by ungulates and their long-term synergetic effect on plant communities.
KW  - diaspore
KW  - external dispersal
KW  - large ungulate
KW  - secondary seed dispersal
KW  - trampling
Y1  - 2014
SN  - 0722-494X
IS  - 34
SP  - 131
EP  - 144
PB  - Floristisch-Soziologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft
CY  - Göttingen
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Albert, Aurelie
A1  - Auffret, Alistair G.
A1  - Cosyns, Eric
A1  - Cousins, Sara A. O.
A1  - Eichberg, Carsten
A1  - Eycott, Amy E.
A1  - Heinken, Thilo
A1  - Hoffmann, Maurice
A1  - Jaroszewicz, Bogdan
A1  - Malo, Juan E.
A1  - Marell, Anders
A1  - Mouissie, Maarten
A1  - Pakeman, Robin J.
A1  - Picard, Melanie
A1  - Plue, Jan
A1  - Poschlod, Peter
A1  - Provoost, Sam
A1  - Schulze, Kiowa Alraune
A1  - Baltzinger, Christophe
T1  - Seed dispersal by ungulates as an ecological filter: a trait-based meta-analysis
JF  - Oikos
N2  - Plant communities are often dispersal-limited and zoochory can be an efficient mechanism for plants to colonize new patches of potentially suitable habitat. We predicted that seed dispersal by ungulates acts as an ecological filter - which differentially affects individuals according to their characteristics and shapes species assemblages - and that the filter varies according to the dispersal mechanism (endozoochory, fur-epizoochory and hoof-epizoochory). We conducted two-step individual participant data meta-analyses of 52 studies on plant dispersal by ungulates in fragmented landscapes, comparing eight plant traits and two habitat indicators between dispersed and non-dispersed plants. We found that ungulates dispersed at least 44% of the available plant species. Moreover, some plant traits and habitat indicators increased the likelihood for plant of being dispersed. Persistent or nitrophilous plant species from open habitats or bearing dry or elongated diaspores were more likely to be dispersed by ungulates, whatever the dispersal mechanism. In addition, endozoochory was more likely for diaspores bearing elongated appendages whereas epizoochory was more likely for diaspores released relatively high in vegetation. Hoof-epizoochory was more likely for light diaspores without hooked appendages. Fur-epizoochory was more likely for diaspores with appendages, particularly elongated or hooked ones. We thus observed a gradient of filtering effect among the three dispersal mechanisms. Endozoochory had an effect of rather weak intensity (impacting six plant characteristics with variations between ungulate-dispersed and non-dispersed plant species mostly below 25%), whereas hoof-epizoochory had a stronger effect (eight characteristics included five ones with above 75% variation), and fur-epizoochory an even stronger one (nine characteristics included six ones with above 75% variation). Our results demonstrate that seed dispersal by ungulates is an ecological filter whose intensity varies according to the dispersal mechanism considered. Ungulates can thus play a key role in plant community dynamics and have implications for plant spatial distribution patterns at multiple scales.
Y1  - 2015
U6  - https://doi.org/10.1111/oik.02512
SN  - 0030-1299
SN  - 1600-0706
VL  - 124
IS  - 9
SP  - 1109
EP  - 1120
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Hoboken
ER  -