Wind-Generated Seed Shadow in Southern Brazil: The Influence of the Mother Plant and Wind Direction

Leone Genz,Camila Kissmann

doi:10.1590/2179-8087.123517

Abstract

Abstract Diaspore dispersal is an essential function of plant species, with effects on plant populations and natural forest dynamics. This study examines how traits of the mother plant (height, crown spread and distance from the diaspores) and the wind (wind speed) affect the spatial distribution of anemochorous diaspores of Apuleia leiocarpa, Peltophorum dubium, and Jacaranda micrantha in Southern Brazil. The number of diaspores from A. leiocarpa, P. dubium, and J. micrantha decrease with the increase in distance from the mother plant and there was no influence of wind direction on the spatial distribution of diaspores. Diaspore sizes of these plants were not related to their dispersal distances. Diaspore dispersal for A. leiocarpa was negatively correlated to the plant height and the crown spread. The dispersal of Peltophorum dubium and Jacaranda micrantha were not influenced by the diaspores and plants traits considered in this study.

Highlights

AND OBJECTIVESDispersal is a critical ecological process with consequences for plant reproduction, population and community dynamics, and gene flow among populations (Croteau, 2010; RobledoArnuncio et al, 2014)
The number of diaspores from A. leiocarpa, P. dubium, and J. micrantha decrease with the increase in distance from the mother plant and there was no influence of wind direction on the spatial distribution of diaspores
A. leiocarpa diaspore dispersal began in December 2014 with a peak in January (64% of the diaspores), followed by a large decrease in February (Figure 3a)

Summary

Introduction

AND OBJECTIVESDispersal is a critical ecological process with consequences for plant reproduction, population and community dynamics, and gene flow among populations (Croteau, 2010; RobledoArnuncio et al, 2014). Knowledge of dispersal strategies has long been recognized as important for understanding plant evolution processes, as well as for explaining current distribution of plants across landscapes (Kuhlmann & Ribeiro, 2016; Sadló et al, 2018) Nowadays, such knowledge has become essential to understand, predict and manage the responses of individuals, populations and species to ecosystem perturbation and climate changes (Robledo-Arnuncio et al, 2014). Anemochorous species exhibit diaspores of small size and mass that are light enough for dispersal by wind (Van der Pijl, 1982). Such diaspores are classified as flyers (balloon, winged, plumed and dust diaspores), rollers or throwers (Van der Pijl, 1982). They can alternatively be classified according to their morphological and aerodynamic traits in still air as floater, autogyro, rolling autogyro, undulator or helicopter (Augspurger, 1986)

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Conclusion