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Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem

Mechanisms, Strategies, Adaptations

  • Book
  • © 2003

Overview

Authors:
  1. Elena Gorb

    1. National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, Ukraine

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  2. Stanislav Gorb

    1. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, Kyiv, Ukraine

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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xv
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  2. Introduction: an historical background

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 1-4

  3. The myrmecochorous syndrome

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 5-24

  4. Diaspore removal by ants

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 25-36

  5. Factors influencing diaspore removal

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 37-51

  6. Effect of the ant species complex on diaspore removal

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 53-69

  7. Diaspore transporting by ants

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 71-81

  8. Seed flow in ant territories

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 83-95

  9. Secondary relocation of diaspores from ant nests

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 97-109

  10. Comparative analysis of plant dispersal systems by ants: diaspore concentration and redistribution

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 111-122

  11. Ecological implications of myrmecochory

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 123-141

  12. Interactions between ants and non-myrmecochorous plants

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 143-151

  13. Methods for studying myrmecochory

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 153-171

  14. Conclusions and outlook

    • Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb
    Pages 173-176

  15. Back Matter

    Pages 177-225
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Keywords

About this book

Countless ants transport and deposit seeds and thereby influence the survival, death, and evolution of many plant species. In higher plants, seed dispersal by ants (myrmecochory) has appeared many times independently in different lineages. More than 3000 plant species are known to utilize ant assistance to be planted. Myrmecochory is a very interesting and rather enigmatic form of mutualistic ant-plant associations. This phenomenon is extremely complex, because there are hundreds of ant species connected with hundreds of plant species. This book effectively combines a thorough approach to investigating morphological and physiological adaptations of plants with elegant field experiments on the behaviour of ants. This monograph is a first attempt at collecting information about morphology, ecology and phenology of ants and plants from one ecosystem. The book gives readers a panoramic view of the hidden, poorly-known interrelations not only between pairs of ants and plant species, but also between species communities in the ecosystem. The authors have considered not just one aspect of animal-plant relationships, but have tried to show them in all their complexity. Some aspects of the ant-plant interactions described in the book may be of interest to botanists, others to zoologists or ecologists, but the entire work is an excellent example of the marriage of these biological disciplines.

Authors and Affiliations

  • National Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv, Ukraine

    Elena Gorb

  • Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, Kyiv, Ukraine

    Stanislav Gorb

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Seed Dispersal by Ants in a Deciduous Forest Ecosystem

  • Book Subtitle: Mechanisms, Strategies, Adaptations

  • Authors: Elena Gorb, Stanislav Gorb

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-0173-0

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2003

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4020-1379-9Published: 31 August 2003

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-90-481-6317-5Published: 03 December 2010

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-017-0173-0Published: 29 June 2013

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVI, 226

  • Topics: Animal Physiology, Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography, Entomology, Plant Ecology, Evolutionary Biology

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