Ant-mediated seed dispersal in a warmed world

Stuble, Katharine L.; Patterson, Courtney M.; Rodriguez-Cabal, Mariano A.; Ribbons, Relena R.; Dunn, Robert R.; Sanders, Nathan J.

doi:10.7717/peerj.286

Title: Ant-mediated seed dispersal in a warmed world

Journal Article · Tue Mar 11 00:00:00 EDT 2014 · PeerJ

DOI:https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.286· OSTI ID:1904619

Stuble, Katharine L. ^[1]; Patterson, Courtney M. ^[1]; Rodriguez-Cabal, Mariano A. ^[2]; Ribbons, Relena R. ^[1]; Dunn, Robert R. ^[3]; Sanders, Nathan J. ^[1]

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Bariloche, Río Negro (Argentina)
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)

Climate change affects communities both directly and indirectly via changes in interspecific interactions. One such interaction that may be altered under climate change is the ant-plant seed dispersal mutualism common in deciduous forests of eastern North America. As climatic warming alters the abundance and activity levels of ants, the potential exists for shifts in rates of ant-mediated seed dispersal. We used an experimental temperature manipulation at two sites in the eastern US (Harvard Forest in Massachusetts and Duke Forest in North Carolina) to examine the potential impacts of climatic warming on overall rates of seed dispersal (using Asarum canadense seeds) as well as species-specific rates of seed dispersal at the Duke Forest site. We also examined the relationship between ant critical thermal maxima (CT_max) and the mean seed removal temperature for each ant species. We found that seed removal rates did not change as a result of experimental warming at either study site, nor were there any changes in species-specific rates of seed dispersal. There was, however, a positive relationship between CT_max and mean seed removal temperature, whereby species with higher CT_max removed more seeds at hotter temperatures. The temperature at which seeds were removed was influenced by experimental warming as well as diurnal and day-to-day fluctuations in temperature. Taken together, our results suggest that while temperature may play a role in regulating seed removal by ants, ant plant seed-dispersal mutualisms may be more robust to climate change than currently assumed.

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Research Organization:: North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF); University of Tennessee

Grant/Contract Number:: FG02-08ER64510; NSF-1136703; NSF-09533390

OSTI ID:: 1904619

Journal Information:: PeerJ, Vol. 2; ISSN 2167-8359

Publisher:: PeerJ Inc.Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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