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（myrmecochory，蚁播）分布范围极广，植物为适应这一传播方式演化出的特征亦十分普遍，其中尤以脂肪类附属结构（elaiosomes，油质体）最为典型。近期一项研究在中欧山毛榉林中发现，蛞蝓可作为蚁播植物的种子传播者。本研究依托105处山毛榉林样地，旨在验证两个核心科学问题：其一，蚁播植物的存在与种群多度是否与蚂蚁或腹足类动物的多度相关；其二，人工暴露的实验种子是否会被腹足类动物取食移除。研究结果显示，蚁播植物的盖度与腹足类动物的多度呈显著正相关，而与蚂蚁的多度呈显著负相关。腹足类动物主导了绝大多数种子的移除及油质体的破损，而昆虫（及啮齿类）的作用相对微弱。腹足类对种子的上述影响不受区域或森林经营管理方式的影响。据此我们提出，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，在蚂蚁缺失或种群较为罕见的区域尤为如此。