New congrats to Mariano Arias, PhD candidate in our lab on his paper "Persistent effects of land-use history on myrmecochorous plant & epigeic ant assemblages across an ecoregional gradient in New York State" in Biodiversity & Conservation. You can watch this space for the pdf soon.

#ants #myrmecochory #gradients #landuse #forest #ESF

Extrafloral (leaf) nectaries may enhance #seed #dispersal by #ants (#myrmecochory) in plants with elaiosome-bearing seeds: eg _Adenanthos cygnorum_ (#Proteaceae, Australia), by Lamont & Grey
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9500

"The ants are offered a nectar “entrée” before receiving the “main course” of a nutrient-rich elaiosome that ensures the seeds escape granivores and are buried"

Note that myrmecochory can be an adaptation to protect seeds from #fire! https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/brv.12855

#Ecology #FireEcology