Cattle disperse seeds and aquatic plants in Neotropical wetlands

Dispersal by waterbirds and wild mammals is known to be important for maintaining biodiversity among wetlands. Cattle are known to be important seed dispersers in terrestrial habitats, however the role of cattle in plant dispersal among wetlands is poorly known. We analysed the potential for the dispersal of aquatic plants (seeds, diaspores and whole plants) by cattle (Bos taurus) through endozoochory in Neotropical wetlands. Ten fresh faecal samples per site (total 30 samples), were collected in three farms of the Pampa region, southern Brazil, between September and November of 2023. A total of 982 propagules and whole plants from 37 wetland plant taxa, belonging to 14 angiosperm and two fern families, were reported. Ten of these taxa are aquatic, seven terrestrial and 19 grow both in water and on land. Viability was confirmed for seeds from 10 angiosperm families, and for 26% of all seeds tested. Our results suggest cattle provide an important ecosystem service for wetland biodiversity in grassland areas through seed dispersal.

众所周知，水鸟与野生哺乳动物的传播作用对维持湿地生物多样性至关重要。牛在陆地生境中作为重要种子传播者的角色已被广泛证实，但其在湿地间植物传播中所发挥的作用却鲜为人知。本研究针对新热带湿地中牛（Bos taurus）通过消化道传播（endozoochory）水生植物（种子、繁殖体与完整植株）的潜力展开了分析。2023年9月至11月间，研究团队在巴西南部潘帕斯（Pampa）地区的3个农场中采集样本，每个采样点收集10份新鲜粪便样品，总计30份。本研究共记录到来自37个湿地植物类群的982个繁殖体与完整植株，这些类群隶属于14个被子植物科与2个蕨类植物科。其中10个类群为水生植物，7个为陆生植物，剩余19个类群可同时在水环境与陆生生境中生长。经检测，来自10个被子植物科的种子以及全部受试种子中的26%均被证实具有生活力。本研究结果表明，牛可通过种子传播为草原区域的湿地生物多样性提供一项重要的生态系统服务功能。