Potential ballistic dispersal of Cytisus scoparius (Fabaceae) seeds
Juan E. MaloDepartamento Interuniversitario de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain. Email: je.malo@uam.es
Australian Journal of Botany 52(5) 653-658 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT03162
Submitted: 31 October 2003 Accepted: 24 May 2004 Published: 25 October 2004
Abstract
Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link (Fabaceae) has a ballistic type of primary seed-dispersal mechanism in which its legumes dehisce suddenly when they dry. This paper presents an experimental approach to the measurement and modeling of distances reached by seeds under optimum dispersal conditions. Branchlets of the species carrying mature legumes were collected and attached to 1.20-m-high platforms on a flat roof terrace. For 2 weeks, daily measurements were made of distances attained by seeds ejected from legumes in the previous 24 h. Seeds were found at a distance of 2343 ± 113 mm (mean ± s.e., n = 245), with 10.2% of recorded distances greater than 5 m and some about 7 m. The mixture model fitted to the distances traveled by seeds allows the mathematical isolation of two underlying processes, the ballistic projection of seeds by dehiscent legumes (nearly 49% of seeds, reaching 3686 ± 1797 mm) and the barochorous dispersal of the remaining seeds in the platform environs (1254 ± 1254 mm). Modeling shows that seeds dispersed ballistically reach locations at some distance from the shrub crown, with low densities of sibling seeds—a potential advantage for the establishment of new individuals.
Acknowledgments
The author thanks Adrián Escudero and Juan Traba for their technical advise and comments to earlier versions of the manuscript. This study is part of I + D Projects code AMB-99 0382 and REN 2003-01562 funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology.
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