Pods as sails but not as boats: Dispersal ecology of a habitat-restricted desert milkvetch

Sydney Houghton; Michael T. Stevens; Susan E. Meyer

doi:10.1002/ajb2.1473

Treesearch

Pods as sails but not as boats: Dispersal ecology of a habitat-restricted desert milkvetch

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Sydney Houghton, Michael T. Stevens, Susan E. Meyer

Year:

2020

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1473

Source:

American Journal of Botany. 107(6): 864-875.

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Abstract

Adaptive seed dispersal mechanisms are fundamental to plant fitness, but dispersal advantage is scale-dependent. We tested the hypothesis that informed dispersal in response to an environmental cue enables dispersal by wind on a local scale for Astragalus holmgreniorum, a desert species restricted to swales and wash skirts with overland flow, but prevents longer-distance dispersal by water into unfavorable wash habitats.

Keywords

antitelechory, Astragalus holmgreniorum, endemic, hygrochasy, informed dispersal, Mojave Desert, seed predators, wind dispersal, water dispersal

Citation

Houghton, Sydney; Stevens, Michael T.; Meyer, Susan E. 2020. Pods as sails but not as boats: Dispersal ecology of a habitat-restricted desert milkvetch. American Journal of Botany. 107(6): 864-875.