Spatial ecology as a crossroad for animal and plant ecology. An example using spatially explicit models of endozoochorous seed dispersal

Abstract

Spatial ecology as a crossroad for animal and plant ecology. An example using spatially explicit models of endozoochorous seed dispersal. In this article, we use seed-dispersal systems to exemplify the importance of spatial ecology for the study of plant-animal
interactions. The study of seed-dispersal systems has been traditionally biased towards their plant component, with a relative disregard for the  role  of  animal  behavior  and  physiology.  It  also  focused  on  one-dimensional  dispersal  kernels,  which  involved  assumptions  that  are generally violated in real-world systems – such as the isometry of dispersal kernels and the lack of spatial heterogeneity within them. Most of these problems can be overcome through an explicit consideration of the spatial component of seed-dispersal systems, and the use of two- and three-dimensional dispersal kernels. We provide two examples of the potential benefits of this approach, spanning an extreme range of disperser size and mobility: the dispersal of Ephedra seeds by lizards (Podarcis lilfordii) at Sa Dragonera islet (Majorca, Spain) and the dual role  of  Asian  elephants  (Oliphas  maximus) as dispersers of both native and invasive species in the dry tropical forests of Southern Sri Lanka.