Influence of secondary dispersal by ants on invasive processes of exotic species with fleshy fruits

PEREYRA, M.; ZEBALLOS, S.R.; GALETTO, L.; OLIVEIRA, P.S.

BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS

SPRINGER

Año: 2022 vol. 24 p. 3275 - 3275

1387-3547

nvasive alien plant species (IAPS) are severely changing ecosystems on earth. Studying the interactions that allow IAPS to establish and spread in the new regions is crucial. Ants can disperse exotic fleshy fruits. We asked the following questions at three different sites of Chaco Mountain Forest (Córdoba, Argentina): (1) Do ants disperse diaspores of native, neonative and IAPS differentially? (2) Which is the ant species assemblage and their role in the secondary dispersal of each of the selected plant species? (3) Do ants interact in different ways with intact and manipulated fruits, and these interactions vary within plant species origin? and (4) Are diaspore traits different among the plant species considered? We selected four plant species: Celtis ehrenbergiana (native), Lantana camara (neonative), Pyracantha angustifolia and Ligustrum lucidum (IAPS). Two experiments were performed: (1) To disentangle the contribution of ants to the secondary dispersal process, and (2) To investi