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Post‐dispersal seed predation of an exotic weed, Mimosa pigra L., in the Northern Territory
Author(s) -
WILSON C. G.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
australian journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1442-9993
pISSN - 0307-692X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9993.1989.tb01431.x
Subject(s) - thicket , biological dispersal , predation , habitat , weed , seed predation , omnivore , biology , floodplain , seed dispersal , shrub , ecology , population , demography , sociology
The removal of seeds of the exotic shrub Mimosa pigra from the ground beneath a thicket of the plant and from the open floodplain surrounding the thicket was studied experimentally. Seeds placed beneath the canopy of the M. pigra thicket were taken predominantly by vertebrates (probably omnivorous rodents) while those on the open floodplain were taken predominantly by ants. After 14 days exposure with no barriers to seed removal, less than half of the seeds placed in either habitat had disappeared. Of the seeds that were removed, over 75% had disappeared from both habitats within 5 days. It is unlikely that post‐dispersal seed predation appreciably inhibits the spread or maintenance of stands of this weed in tropical Australia.