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Patterns of seed rain at the edge of a tropical Queensland rain forest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Mary F. Willson  and
F. H. J. Crome
Mary F. Willson
Affiliation:
Department of Ecology, Ethology, and Evolution, University of Illinois, Shelford Vivarium, 606 E., Healey Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
F. H. J. Crome
Affiliation:
CSIRO, Division of Wildlife and Ecology, Tropical Forest Research Centre, PO Box 780, Atherton, Queensland 4883, Australia
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Abstract

Both vertebrate- and wind-dispersed seeds moved farther from rain forest into old field than from old field into forest. Vertebrate-dispersed seeds from the rain forest moved farther into the field than wind-dispersed seeds, but seeds of both types moved similar distances from field into forest.

Habitat structure affected seed deposition patterns in the field, where shrubs provided perches for flying vertebrates. Vertebrate-dispersed seed deposition was significantly greater, and deposition of plumed, wind-dispersed seeds was significantly less, under shrubs than in the open. Deposition of vertebrate-dispersed seeds under fruiting shrubs was significantly less than under non-fruiting shrubs.

Keywords

Australiahabitat structureQueensland rain forestseed dispersalseed rainvertebrate-dispersed seedswind-dispersed seeds
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 5 , Issue 3 , August 1989 , pp. 301 - 308
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1989

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