Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) play a central role in seed dispersal and fruit defense, with potential for large impacts on plant fitness and demography. Yet because PSMs can have multiple interactive functions across seed dispersal stages, we must systematically study their effects to determine the net consequences for plant fitness. To tackle this issue, we integrate the role of fruit PSMs into the seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) framework. We describe PSM effects on the quantity and quality of animal-mediated seed dispersal, both in pairwise interactions and diverse disperser communities, as well as trade-offs that occur across dispersal stages. By doing so, this review provides structure to a rapidly growing field and yields insights into a critical process shaping plant populations.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2021.08.005 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement, Université de Toulouse, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Université Toulouse 3 - Paul Sabatier, Toulouse F-31062, France.
Unlike most rivers globally, nearly all lowland Amazonian rivers have unregulated flow, supporting seasonally flooded floodplain forests. Floodplain forests harbor a unique tree species assemblage adapted to flooding and specialized fauna, including fruit-eating fish that migrate seasonally into floodplains, favoring expansive floodplain areas. Frugivorous fish are forest-dependent fauna critical to forest regeneration via seed dispersal and support commercial and artisanal fisheries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Reprod
January 2025
Hormonal Crosstalk in Plant Development, Mendel Center for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC MU-Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 625 00, Brno, Czech Republic.
SHATTERPROOF 2 regulates TAA1 expression for the establishment of the gynoecium valve margins. Gynoecium development and patterning play a crucial role in determining the ultimate structure of the fruit and, thus, seed production. The MADS-box transcription factor SHATTERPROOF 2 (SHP2) contributes to valve margin differentiation and plays a major role in fruit dehiscence and seed dispersal.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Biol Sci
January 2025
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
Life has existed on Earth for most of the planet's history, yet major gaps and unresolved questions remain about how it first arose and persisted. Early Earth posed numerous challenges for life, including harsh and fluctuating environments. Today, many organisms cope with such conditions by entering a reversible state of reduced metabolic activity, a phenomenon known as dormancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEvodevo
December 2024
Institute of Botany, Justus-Liebig-University, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 38, 35392, Giessen, Germany.
Background: Fruits, with their diverse shapes, colors, and flavors, represent a fascinating aspect of plant evolution and have played a significant role in human history and nutrition. Understanding the origins and evolutionary pathways of fruits offers valuable insights into plant diversity, ecological relationships, and the development of agricultural systems. Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae, core eudicot) and Eschscholzia californica (California poppy, Papaveraceae, sister group to core eudicots) both develop dry dehiscent fruits, with two valves separating explosively from the replum-like region upon maturation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeerJ
December 2024
Institute of Science and Engineering of Ecology in Arid and Semi-arid Areas, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
Urbanization greatly impacts both the diversity of soil seed banks and the spatial dynamics of species. These seed banks serve as a window into the ecological history and potential for recovery in urban wastelands, which are continually evolving due to urbanization. In this study, we selected 24 plots along urban-rural gradients in Shanghai, China.
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