Dataset Information

Advancing an interdisciplinary framework to study seed dispersal ecology.

ABSTRACT: Although dispersal is generally viewed as a crucial determinant for the fitness of any organism, our understanding of its role in the persistence and spread of plant populations remains incomplete. Generalizing and predicting dispersal processes are challenging due to context dependence of seed dispersal, environmental heterogeneity and interdependent processes occurring over multiple spatial and temporal scales. Current population models often use simple phenomenological descriptions of dispersal processes, limiting their ability to examine the role of population persistence and spread, especially under global change. To move seed dispersal ecology forward, we need to evaluate the impact of any single seed dispersal event within the full spatial and temporal context of a plant's life history and environmental variability that ultimately influences a population's ability to persist and spread. In this perspective, we provide guidance on integrating empirical and theoretical approaches that account for the context dependency of seed dispersal to improve our ability to generalize and predict the consequences of dispersal, and its anthropogenic alteration, across systems. We synthesize suitable theoretical frameworks for this work and discuss concepts, approaches and available data from diverse subdisciplines to help operationalize concepts, highlight recent breakthroughs across research areas and discuss ongoing challenges and open questions. We address knowledge gaps in the movement ecology of seeds and the integration of dispersal and demography that could benefit from such a synthesis. With an interdisciplinary perspective, we will be able to better understand how global change will impact seed dispersal processes, and potential cascading effects on plant population persistence, spread and biodiversity.

SUBMITTER: Beckman NG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7179845 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Advancing an interdisciplinary framework to study seed dispersal ecology.

Beckman Noelle G NG Aslan Clare E CE Rogers Haldre S HS Kogan Oleg O Bronstein Judith L JL Bullock James M JM Hartig Florian F HilleRisLambers Janneke J Zhou Ying Y Zurell Damaris D Brodie Jedediah F JF Bruna Emilio M EM Cantrell Robert Stephen RS Decker Robin R RR Efiom Edu E Fricke Evan C EC Gurski Katherine K Hastings Alan A Johnson Jeremy S JS Loiselle Bette A BA Miriti Maria N MN Neubert Michael G MG Pejchar Liba L Poulsen John R JR Pufal Gesine G Razafindratsima Onja H OH Sandor Manette E ME Shea Katriona K Schreiber Sebastian S Schupp Eugene W EW Snell Rebecca S RS Strickland Christopher C Zambrano Jenny J

AoB PLANTS 20190819 2

Although dispersal is generally viewed as a crucial determinant for the fitness of any organism, our understanding of its role in the persistence and spread of plant populations remains incomplete. Generalizing and predicting dispersal processes are challenging due to context dependence of seed dispersal, environmental heterogeneity and interdependent processes occurring over multiple spatial and temporal scales. Current population models often use simple phenomenological descriptions of dispers ...[more]

PMID: 32346468

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Project description:Landscape connectivity describes how the movement of animals relates to landscape structure. The way in which movement among populations is affected by environmental conditions is important for predicting the effects of habitat fragmentation, and for defining conservation corridors. One approach has been to map resistance surfaces to characterize how environmental variables affect animal movement, and to use these surfaces to model connectivity. However, current connectivity modelling typically uses information on species location or habitat preference rather than movement, which unfortunately may not capture dispersal limitations. Here we emphasize the importance of implementing dispersal ecology into landscape connectivity, i.e., observing patterns of habitat selection by dispersers during different phases of new areas' colonization to infer habitat connectivity. Disperser animals undertake a complex sequence of movements concatenated over time and strictly dependent on species ecology. Using satellite telemetry, we investigated the movement ecology of 54 young male elk Cervus elaphus, which commonly disperse, to design a corridor network across the Northern Rocky Mountains. Winter residency period is often followed by a spring-summer movement phase, when young elk migrate with mothers' groups to summering areas, and by a further dispersal bout performed alone to a novel summer area. After another summer residency phase, dispersers usually undertake a final autumnal movement to reach novel wintering areas. We used resource selection functions to identify winter and summer habitats selected by elk during residency phases. We then extracted movements undertaken during spring to move from winter to summer areas, and during autumn to move from summer to winter areas, and modelled them using step selection functions. We built friction surfaces, merged the different movement phases, and eventually mapped least-cost corridors. We showed an application of this tool by creating a scenario with movement predicted as there were no roads, and mapping highways' segments impeding elk connectivity.

Dataset Information

Advancing an interdisciplinary framework to study seed dispersal ecology.

Publications

Advancing an interdisciplinary framework to study seed dispersal ecology.

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