Vector activity and propagule size affect dispersal potential by vertebrates

• Published in: Oecologia Vol. 170; no. 1; pp. 101 - 109
• Main Authors: van Leeuwen, Casper H. A., Tollenaar, Marthe L., Klaassen, Marcel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer 01.09.2012; Springer-Verlag; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anas platyrhynchos; Animal digestion; Animal Distribution; Animal experimentation; Animals; Aquatic birds; Aviary birds; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Birds; Defecation; Digestive system; Dispersal; Ducks; Ecology; Excretion; Flumes; Food Chain; Gastropoda; Hydrology/Water Resources; Invasive species; Life Sciences; Metabolism; Metapopulations; Plant Sciences; POPULATION ECOLOGY; Population ecology - Original research; Retention; Survival; Swimming; Vertebrates; Wading birds; Waterfowl; Metabolic rate; Endozoochory; Physiology; Digestion; Retention time

Many small organisms in various life stages can be transported in the digestive system of larger vertebrates, a process known as endozoochory. Potential dispersal distances of these "propagules" are generally calculated after monitoring retrieval in experiments with resting vector animals....