Abstract
We studied a temperate plant community to examine whether the reproductive phenology of ant-dispersed plants is correlated with seasonal variation in seed dispersal activity of ants. We documented flowering and fruiting peak of 24 ant-dispersed and 251 non-ant-dispersed plant species. To characterize the activity of ants, we quantified the seasonal removal rates of greater celandine (Chelidonium majus) seeds. Ant-dispersed plants flowered on average 5.6 wk and fruited 7.1 wk earlier than those with other dispersal modes. This difference was not caused by variation in growth form or habitat. Mean fruiting peak of ant-dispersed plants was early July. Ant activity was especially high between May and July. The results indicate that ant-dispersed plants would have suffered a significant decline in seed removal if they had fruited at times when plants with other dispersal modes fruited. Thus, our data suggest that the early phenology of ant-dispersed plants is an adaptation to their mode of seed dispersal.
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