Whole angiospermsWolffia columbianadisperse by gut passage through wildfowl in South America | Zendy

Giliandro G. Silva | Zendy; Andy J. Green | Zendy; Vinícius Weber | Zendy; Pedro Henrique de Oliveira Hoffmann | Zendy; Ádám LovasKiss | Zendy; Cristina Stenert | Zendy; Leonardo Maltchik | Zendy

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Whole angiospermsWolffia columbianadisperse by gut passage through wildfowl in South America

Author(s) -

Giliandro G. Silva,

Andy J. Green,

Vinícius Weber,

Pedro Henrique de Oliveira Hoffmann,

Ádám LovasKiss,

Cristina Stenert,

Leonardo Maltchik

Publication year - 2018

Publication title -

biology letters

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.596

H-Index - 110

eISSN - 1744-957X

pISSN - 1744-9561

DOI - 10.1098/rsbl.2018.0703

Subject(s) - biology , biological dispersal , propagule , alien , asexual reproduction , botany , ecology , population , demography , sociology , politics , citizenship , political science , law

For the first time to our knowledge, we demonstrate that whole angiosperm individuals can survive gut passage through birds, and that this occurs in the field. Floating plants of the genusWolffia are the smallest of all flowering plants. Fresh droppings of white-faced whistling duckDendrocygna viduata (n = 49) and coscoroba swanCoscoroba coscoroba (n = 22) were collected from Brazilian wetlands. IntactWolffia columbiana were recovered from 16% ofD. viduata and 32% ofCoscoroba samples (total = 164 plantlets). The viability of plants was tested, and asexual reproduction was confirmed.Wolffia columbiana is an expanding alien in Europe. Avian endozoochory of asexual angiosperm propagules may be an important, overlooked dispersal means for aquatic plants, and may contribute to the invasive character of alien species.

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