Dispersal of Seeds as Nest Material by Birds in Semiarid Karoo Shrubland

Seeds of 55 species of plants were incorporated into the nests of 31 common bird species in the semiarid shrubland of the southern Karoo, South Africa. However, only three plant species were used abundantly by a variety of birds. Nest lining and structural materials included many viable seeds. Our f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ecology (Durham) 1990-08, Vol.71 (4), p.1299-1306
Main Authors: Dean, W. R. J., Milton, Suzanne J., Siegfried, W. Roy
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Aves
Banks
Biological and medical sciences
Bird nesting
Birds
Demecology
Ecology
Flowers & plants
Fruits
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Germination
Plants
Plants and fungi
Riverbanks
Seedlings
Seeds
Shrubs
Sparrows
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Summary:Seeds of 55 species of plants were incorporated into the nests of 31 common bird species in the semiarid shrubland of the southern Karoo, South Africa. However, only three plant species were used abundantly by a variety of birds. Nest lining and structural materials included many viable seeds. Our findings suggest that birds facilitated directed dispersal of the creeper Galiurn tornentosurn to sites near trees, and that they moved shrub seeds away from conspecifics. We postulate that plant species with cottony seed coverings (e.g., Eriocephalus) or indehiscent fruits on woolly or branched peduncles, such as Galiurn tornentosurn, are adapted for directed dispersal by birds as nest material.
ISSN:0012-9658
1939-9170
DOI:10.2307/1938267