Effects of seed morphology and elaiosome chemical composition on attractiveness of five Trillium species to seed-dispersing ants.

ABSTRACT: Morphological and chemical attributes of diaspores in myrmecochorous plants have been shown to affect seed dispersal by ants, but the relative importance of these attributes in determining seed attractiveness and dispersal success is poorly understood. We explored whether differences in diaspore morphology, elaiosome fatty acids, or elaiosome phytochemical profiles explain the differential attractiveness of five species in the genus Trillium to eastern North American forest ants. Species were ranked from least to most attractive based on empirically-derived seed dispersal probabilities in our study system, and we compared diaspore traits to test our hypotheses that more attractive species will have larger diaspores, greater concentrations of elaiosome fatty acids, and distinct elaio

SUBMITTER: Miller CN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7083703 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature