Nest building by darwin's finches as an overlooked seed dispersal mechanism
| Autor: | Julio Rabadán-González, Carlos Camacho, Marc-Olivier Beausoleil, Roxanne Richard |
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| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Gossypium biology ved/biology Ecology Seed dispersal ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species Introduced species Galápagos Darwin's finches biology.organism_classification Bird nest 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Shrub Island Predation Nest Caliochory Gossypium darwinii Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Community dynamics 010606 plant biology & botany |
| Zdroj: | Digital.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC instname |
| Popis: | Caliochory, or seed dispersal by birds as nest material, has been reported for several species, but its effectiveness remains unclear in most cases. Darwin's finches are traditionally regarded as seed predators, but the observation of two nests challenges this assumption by demonstrating that they can act as seed dispersers via caliochory. Darwin's finches incorporate cotton-like materials into their nests, including seeds of Darwin's cotton (Gossypium darwinii), a shrub endemic to the Galápagos (Ecuador). Bird nests typically break down after intense rainfall, so the seeds incorporated into nests might benefit from suitable conditions for germination. By simulating the germination conditions experienced over a 72-h period by cotton seeds in a naturally fallen nest, this study qualitatively confirms the long-term viability of at least a small fraction of the seeds at the surface of the nest. Darwin's finches might therefore provide seed-dispersal services to Darwin's cotton and possibly, other native and exotic plants of the Galápagos commonly incorporated into nests. However, larger confirmatory studies are needed. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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