Endozoochory of aquatic ferns and angiosperms by mallards in Central Europe

1. Modern literature on plant dispersal by birds focuses mainly on the importance of frugivory and scatter-hoarding, yet recent studies show that endozoochory by migratory waterbirds is an important mechanism of long-distance dispersal for a broad range of plants. Nevertheless, there is a lack of empirical field studies that identify the plants dispersed by waterbirds, and relate them to expectations based on dispersal syndromes. To date, there are no detailed studies of the level of spatial variation in the plant taxa dispersed by a waterbird vector. 2. Five sets of faecal samples (total n = 215) were collected from mallards Anas platyrhynchos on autumn migration in the Tisza and Balaton regions in Hungary, central Europe. Intact diaspores were extracted, identified and their germinability assessed under standard conditions. The plant communities recorded at different sites were compared with PERMANOVA and other multivariate methods. 3. Macrospores of the floating watermoss Salvinia ...当前关于鸟类传播植物的现代研究多聚焦于食果行为与分散贮食的重要性，但近期研究表明，候鸟经消化道内传播（endozoochory）是诸多植物实现长距离传播的关键机制。然而，目前仍缺乏实证性野外研究，用以明确水鸟所传播的植物类群，并将其与基于传播综合征（dispersal syndromes）的理论预期相匹配。截至目前，尚无针对单一水鸟媒介所传播植物类群的空间变异程度开展的详细研究。 本研究在中欧匈牙利的蒂萨与巴拉顿区域，采集了秋季迁徙期绿头鸭（Anas platyrhynchos）的5组粪便样本，总样本量n=215。研究人员从中提取完整传播体（diaspores），并在标准实验条件下完成物种鉴定与萌发能力评估。采用置换多元方差分析（PERMANOVA）及其他多元统计方法，对不同采样位点记录的植物群落进行了对比分析。 漂浮槐叶苹（Salvinia）的大孢子（macrospores）……