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Dispersal mechanism and transcontinental naturalization proneness among Mediterranean herbaceous species
Author(s) -
Malo J. E.,
Suarez F.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of biogeography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 158
eISSN - 1365-2699
pISSN - 0305-0270
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2699.1997.00107.x
Subject(s) - herbaceous plant , biological dispersal , naturalization , ecology , mediterranean climate , biology , introduced species , seed dispersal , alien , invasive species , geography , population , demography , sociology , census
The percentage of central Iberian herbaceous species introduced into the Mediterranean zone of Chile is analysed in terms of the most usual types of dispersal: endo‐ and exo‐zoochory and anemochory. Almost 15% of the herbaceous species from Central Iberia are naturalized in Chile. This proportion is significantly higher for the endo‐ and exozoochorous species (21% and 23%), and not significantly for the anemochorous species (20%). In contrast, only 8% of the species not covered by these three groups have been introduced to Chile. Consequently, the percentage of anemochorous, endo‐ and exozoochorous species is somewhat higher in the dispersive spectrum of the alien species introduced in Chile. These results suggest that the seed dispersal systems associated with animals are particularly favourable for the introduction of species, and that herbivores have facilitated the naturalization and spread of alien herbaceous species from their initial points of introduction.