Data from: Are gastropods, rather than ants, important dispersers of seeds of myrmecochorous forest herbs?

Seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) is widespread and seed adaptations to myrmecochory are common, especially in the form of fatty appendices (elaiosomes). In a recent study, slugs were identified as seed dispersers of myrmecochores in a Central European beech forest. Here we used 105 beech forest sites to test whether myrmecochore presence and abundance is related to ant or to gastropod abundance and whether experimentally exposed seeds are removed by gastropods. Myrmecochorous plant cover was positively related to gastropod abundance, but negatively to ant abundance. Gastropods were responsible for most seed removal and elaiosome damage, while insects (and rodents) played minor roles. These gastropod effects on seeds were independent of region or forest management. We suggest that terrestrial gastropods can generally act as seed dispersers of myrmecochorous plants or even substitute myrmecochory, especially where ants are absent or uncommon.

蚂蚁介导的种子传播（蚁播，myrmecochory）分布广泛，植物种子为适应蚁播演化出的特征亦十分常见，其中尤以脂肪附属结构——油质体（elaiosomes）最为典型。近期一项针对中欧山毛榉林的研究发现，蛞蝓可作为蚁播植物的种子传播者。本研究选取105处山毛榉林样地，旨在验证蚁播植物的存在与丰富度是否与蚂蚁或腹足类动物（gastropod）的丰度相关，同时检验实验暴露的种子是否会被腹足类动物取食移除。蚁播植物的盖度与腹足类动物丰度呈正相关，而与蚂蚁丰度呈负相关。多数种子的移除及油质体的损毁均由腹足类动物造成，昆虫（及啮齿类）的作用则相对微弱。腹足类动物对种子的上述影响不受研究区域或森林经营方式的制约。据此我们认为，陆生腹足类动物通常可充当蚁播植物的种子传播者，甚至能够替代蚁播过程，在蚂蚁缺失或种群稀少的区域尤为如此。