| Literature DB >> 34221739 |
Bin Liu1,2, Guohai Wang1, Yuting An2, Dandan Xue2, Libo Wang2, Changhu Lu1.
Abstract
Frugivorous birds play an important role in seed dispersal. Alien plant species' seeds are dispersed by local birds in order to establish populations in new habitats. Alien plant species that produce fruits similar to that of native species have the potential to attract local birds, creating new mutualistic systems that are similar to the local ones. In autumn 2018 and 2019, we studied the seed dispersal systems of an alien plant species, Phytolacca americana, and a native species, Cayratia japonica, in a coastal seawall forest. Both plant species' fruit, frugivorous bird foraging behaviors, seed germination rates, and seedling microhabitats were examined to determine whether the alien species had a similar seed dispersal system to that of the native species. Our results showed that P. americana and C. japonica had similar fruit type, color, and ripening period. There was a positive correlation between the percentage rate of fruit ripening and the percentage rate of fruit missing for both plant species, indicating that local frugivorous birds have the potential to sufficiently disperse the alien seeds to enable its spread in the coastal seawall forest (simple linear regression, P. americana: β = 0.863 ± 0.017, R2 adj = 0.978, P < 0.01; C. japonica: β = 0.787 ± 0.034, R2 adj = 0.898, P < 0.01). Eleven bird species consumed the fruits of the alien species or native species during the study period. Similar results were shown across alien and native species in bird foraging behavior (feeding frequency, feeding duration and first stop distance) indicating that a similar seed dispersal relationship had been established between local frugivorous and both plant species. The alien plant had a higher number of fruits carried by birds, suggesting that P. americana had a slightly higher fruit consumption than that of C. japonica (t-test, P < 0.01). Alien plant seedlings grow more abundant in forest gap microhabitat (t-test, P < 0.01). Our results confirmed that bird digestion promotes seed germination success in both plant species. Our study suggests that in a narrow coastal seawall forest, alien plant species can successfully establish their populations by relying on similar seed dispersal systems as the local species. ©2021 Liu et al.Entities:
Keywords: Alien plant species; Frugivorous birds; Native plant species; Seed dispersal system
Year: 2021 PMID: 34221739 PMCID: PMC8231312 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11672
Source DB: PubMed Journal: PeerJ ISSN: 2167-8359 Impact factor: 2.984
Fruit characteristics and plant density of the two plant species in the study site.
Number in brackets indicates the sample size. Mean and SD are displayed in the table.
| Fruit type | Berry | Berry |
| Fruit size (mm) | 10.0 ± 0.9 (20) | 7.9 ± 0.7 (20) |
| Fruit shape and color | Round, black | Round, Purple black |
| Fruit ripening period | August to October | August to October |
| Fruit height (m) | 0.2 ± 0.1 (20) | 1.3 ± 0.3 (20) |
| Plant density (individuals/m2) | 0.5 ± 0.3 (20) | 0.1 ± 0.1 (20) |
Figure 1Relationship between percent fully ripen fruits and percent of fruit missing caused by bird visiting.
Percent missing fruits are based on the remaining fruits of each sampled plants (n =10). Simple linear regression is used for statistical analysis.
Figure 2Correspondence relationship between avian frugivores and fruiting plants based on feeding behaviors.
Widths of connecting lines denote the number of observed interactions (wider represents higher intensity of visiting). Avian frugivores: PS: Pycnonotus sinensis; PP: Pica pica; TM: Turdus merula; SC: Sturnus cineraceus; EM: Eophona migratoria; PW: Paradoxornis webbianus; PM: Parus major; ES: Emberiza spodocephala; OC: Oriolus chinensis; CC: Cyanoptila cyanomelana; TH: Turdus hortulorum.
Bird feeding behaviors on the native and alien plant species.
Number in brackets indicates the sample size. Mean and SD are displayed in the table, except for feeding frequency which represents the total number of visits.
| 4.0 | 65.0 | 10.0 ± 7.1 (4) | 14.2 ± 7.7 (65) | 1.5 ± 0.6 (4) | 4.1 ± 1.9 (65) | 9.3 ± 7.2 (4) | 13.4 ± 7.7 (65) | S | R | |
| 3.0 | 18.0 | 6.7 ± 3.5 (3) | 7.3 ± 3.2 (18) | 1.3 ± 0.6 (3) | 3.7 ± 2.4 (18) | 25.0 ± 5.0 (3) | 28.6 ± 14.6 (18) | S | R | |
| 0 | 11.0 | 0 | 5.2 ± 3.5 (11) | 0 | 1.8 ± 1.2 (11) | 0 | 8.3 ± 5.3 (11) | S | T | |
| 11.0 | 9.0 | 26.9 ± 17.6 (11) | 10.1 ± 5.3 (9) | 1.9 ± 0.8 (11) | 4.6 ± 2.1 (9) | 75.0 ± 47.0 (11) | 70.0 ± 26.0 (9) | S | R | |
| 35.0 | 9.0 | 16.7 ± 10.6 (35) | 10.0 ± 6.5 (9) | 2.1 ± 1.2 (35) | 4.2 ± 2.8 (9) | 29.9 ± 16.1 (35) | 23.3 ± 7.1 (9) | S | R | |
| 12.0 | 0 | 11.9 ± 8.1 (12) | 0 | 2.6 ± 1.1 (12) | 0 | 31.9 ± 25.1 (12) | 0 | S | T | |
| 6.0 | 4.0 | 14.5 ± 6.3 (6) | 7.8 ± 5.7 (4) | 1.8 ± 0.8 (6) | 2.8 ± 2.2 (4) | 42.5 ± 16.7 (6) | 19.3 ± 10.3 (4) | S | T | |
| 0 | 17.0 | 0 | 5.8 ± 2.9 (17) | 0 | 3.6 ± 1.8 (17) | 0 | 6.7 ± 2.3 (17) | S/P | R | |
| 1.0 | 13.0 | 5.0 (1) | 6.8 ± 3.4 (13) | 1.0 (1) | 2.2 ± 0.9 (13) | 12.0 (1) | 12.2 ± 4.3 (13) | S/P | R | |
| 13.0 | 4.0 | 20.8 ± 13.7 (13) | 10.0 ± 4.8 (4) | 1.7 ± 0.9 (13) | 4.5 ± 3.1 (4) | 26.0 ± 12.4 (13) | 15.0 ± 5.8 (4) | S/P | R | |
| 0 | 13.0 | 0 | 11.6 ± 3.6 (13) | 0 | 2.0 ± 0.9 (13) | 0 | 7.2 ± 4.6 (13) | S/P | W | |
Notes.
Cayratia japonica
Phytolacca americana
Swallow
Pecking
Resident birds
Travel birds
Winter birds
Figure 3Cumulative seed germination rates of the two plant species in three different groups.
Each group contains 100 seeds.
Figure 4The mean seedling number of the native and alien plant species growing in two different microhabitats.
Thirty plots (r =25 m) are investigated. Error bars show the standard deviation.