Epizoochorous dispersal by ungulates depends on fur, grooming and social interactions

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 1582 - 1594
• Main Authors: Liehrmann, Océane, Jégoux, Flore, Guilbert, Marie‐Alice, Isselin‐Nondedeu, Francis, Saïd, Sonia, Locatelli, Yann, Baltzinger, Christophe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-02-2018; Wiley Open Access; John Wiley and Sons Inc
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Artiodactyla; behavior; Biodiversity and Ecology; Capra aegagrus hircus; Cervidae; Cervus elaphus; Controlled conditions; Deer; Detachment; Diaspore; Dispersal; Dispersion; Environmental Sciences; epizoochory; Equus asinus; Grooming; Hair; Original Research; Perissodactyla; Retention; Retention capacity; Retention time; seed dispersal distance; seed retention time; Social factors; Social interactions; Spatial distribution; Ultrasonic testing; Ungulates; Xanthium strumarium; Xanthium strumarium L; Cervus elaphus; Capra aegagrus hircus; Equus asinus; Xanthium strumarium L; epizoochory; seed dispersal distance; behavior; seed retention time; DISTANCE; CERVUS ELAPHUS; XANTHIUM STRUMARIUM L; BEHAVIOR; EPIZOOCHORY; SEED DISPERSAL; SEED RETENTION TIME; CAPRA AEGAGRUS HIRCUS; TEMPS DE RETENTION; EQUUS ASINUS
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3768

The transport phase of the animal‐mediated plant dispersal process is critical to dispersal effectiveness as it determines the spatial distribution of the diaspores released and their chance for further recruitment. Assessing this specific phase of the dispersal process generally requires combining diaspore retention times with the associated distances covered. Here, we specifically tested the effect of grooming behavior, interindividual contacts and ungulate fur on diaspore retention times and associated dispersal distances for the hooked diaspores of Xanthium strumarium L. experimentally attached to tamed individuals of three ungulate species. We used a comparative approach based on differing fur quality on different body zones of these three ungulates. During 6‐hr sessions, we monitored for grooming and social interactions that may induce intended or inadvertent diaspore detachment. Additionally, we proposed innovative approaches to directly assessing diaspore dispersal distances by red deer in situ. Fat‐tailed functions fitted diaspore retention time, highlighting the potential for long‐distance dispersal events. The longer the hair, the higher the retention capacity of diaspores in the animal's fur. As predicted, donkey retained diaspores longer than red deer and dwarf goat; and we also confirmed that diaspores attached to the short hair of the head fell off more quickly than did those on the other body zones. Dwarf goat groomed more often than both red deer and donkey, but also when it carried diaspores. Up to 14% of the diaspores detached from animal fur after specific grooming behavior. We observed, in controlled conditions, for the first time and for each ungulate species, interindividual transfers of diaspores, representing 5% of the diaspores attached to animals’ fur. Our results militate for incorporating animal behavior into plant dispersal modeling approaches.
We present important methodological updates stressing the potential for long‐distance animal‐mediated diaspore dispersal events using short monitoring sessions and a trait‐based cross‐comparative approach. We highlight the interest of coupling diaspore fate monitoring with behavioral census. This helped us describing for the first time unsuspected diaspore transfers among conspecifics.