Ants are important mediator for a number of plant species that (either rely on or not) their services as seed disperser. During a field trip, we have noticed a special phenomenon in which some ants picked up plant seeds only when they were positioned in the middle of the trail followed by the animals travelling on the forest floor; and seeds put outside the trial were generally ignored. This seed dispersal mode appears in contrast with active foraging by the workers. Are you aware of similar phenomena, what is the possible implication to plant regeneration and the different role of ants play please?
Hello Ran; What happens to the seeds that are carried in the way you describe? To interpret the behavior some more information about the phenomenon would help. For instance, How far are seeds moved? Do these seeds enter the ants' nest? Do they finally end up in the tumulus piles? And so forth... Cheers, Jim Des Lauriers
Ant as well some birds & insects are also play role in seed dispersal .
Hi James Des Lauriers many thanks for the reminders! We did not see seeds being transported into the ant nest as the movement was quite slow and the rugged topography was preventing us from observing further. From where we were standing, the ants simply dragged along as they moved, without consuming the seeds. So I supposed that over time those seeds would end up in the nearby nests or dumped along the trail.
Hi Ran; Field work is always rough! Did the seeds have eliasomes? If they did the ants hold the seed by gripping the eliasome? Those would be clues, I think.
As an aside, there is a prominent ant guy at your university. Benoit Guenard. He might be interested in discussing this topic with you. Try to contact him. Here is a website that he curates. https://antmaps.org/?
If you can, go back and watch the ants some more. They are REALLY interesting! Best regards, Jim Des Lauriers
Hi James Des Lauriers the seeds had arils and the ants were gripping the aril, sometimes feeding on it while they were also facilitating seed movements. The ant trail disappeared during the winter time (I figured before that it was because that the animals had been busy hoarding over-winter food they were seen in great abundance) and I’m trying to visit the site again and again now in order to determine their time of activity starting from this year :)
Ran; Well, you certainly know what to look for. Enjoy the quest.
Cheers, Jim Des Lauriers
Dear Ran Dai . See the following useful RG link: Article Ant-mediated seed dispersal in a warmed world
Kindly see also the following useful RG link: Article Ant‐mediated seed dispersal does not facilitate niche expansion
Also check please the following useful link: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-tropical-ecology/article/interactions-between-ants-and-nonmyrmecochorous-diaspores-in-a-west-african-montane-landscape/20F855ACCFE3BC24FB1E397D2732C1D4
The following link is also very useful: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/psyche/2012/951029/
- Hi Ran. I am a first-year doctoral student from Lanzhou University. I'm very interested in ants, so I am determined to devote myself to myrmecology and ecology on the Tibetan Plateau.
- In my opinion, all behavior is the result of natural selection. Ants of different genera generally have different behaviors. The activity of carrying the seeds means foraging for Messor spp., and maybe nesting for Formica spp.. So maybe we should identify these ants before explaining their behaviors which provide them dominance.
- Finally, it's my pleasure to share a phenomenon on the Tibetan Plateau. It has been found that seeds transmitted by ants have a higher germination rate. And Formica Manchu, the dominant species in the Tibetan grassland, selectively collects and plants grass and sedge plants to provide suitable microhabitats for themselves, which is unbelievable and interesting.
Hello Liao Jingkang many thanks for the sharing. I was looking at the specimens and the species that we found transporting seeds in a seemingly passive manner was possibly Lasius/Dendrolasius, which formed a steady stream in a mixed agriculture & secondary forest/shrub land here in Yunnan.
I agree that the behavior of the ants must have some adaptive value, but I'm not sure of the possible ecological consequences or can we call this part of the ecological service by ants the seed dispersers?
Here we have Formica too, perhaps F. japonica but they were not found actively transporting seeds. However this might also be due to my lack of field experiences. It's my pleasure to talk with you about this, best wishes for your study! - Ran
- Thanks a lot for your reply and following, Ran. I used to feed Lasius alienus at home. Unfortunately, there are no Lasius spp. in my study field, so I learn them a little. Small size and preferring honeydew are the only features in my impression of them. And I did not find they are interesting about seeds for food through my feeding. What you discovered is very interesting. Look forward to your progress.
- It's very difficult to answer the question that can we call them seed dispersers. E. O. Wilson said in his last book, like this: We have no direct evidence that ants initiatively spread the seeds. Negligence, usually in the process of storing food or building an ant nest, allows the seeds to germinate. In order to evaluate the ecological function about the behavior of seed dispersal, maybe we should assess how much the impact the behavior makes, track where the seeds go, and learn the microenvironment which Lasius dendrolasius created more.
- I'm so glad to meet you. Ants are incredible creatures in the world. I will follow them and study them in the rest of my life. Best wishes (与君共勉).
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Agriculture
- Horticulture
- Seeds