%0 Journal Article %1 1994 %A Hughes, Lesley %A Dunlop, Michael %A French, Kristine %A Leishman, Michelle R. %A Rice, Barbara %A Rodgerson, Louise %A Westoby, Mark %D 1994 %I British Ecological Society %J Journal of Ecology %K data dispersal seed_dispersal theory travelling_wave %N 4 %P 933--950 %T Predicting Dispersal Spectra: A Minimal Set of Hypotheses Based on Plant Attributes %U http://www.jstor.org/stable/2261456 %V 82 %X 1 The dispersal mode adopted by a plant species is frequently associated with other attributes of the plant and its habitat. In this paper we review these associations and present a set of hypotheses which, when considered together, make a probabilistic prediction of the dispersal mode adopted by a plant species. When applied to a species list, the hypotheses can be used to generate a prediction of its dispersal spectrum, i.e. the percentages of different dispersal modes that have been adopted. 2 The formulation of such a set of hypotheses has several purposes: (i) to summarize existing knowledge about dispersal adaptations and their interrelations with other attributes of plants and their habitats; (ii) to couch that knowledge in such a way that falsifiable predictions can be made; (iii) to arrive at provisional conclusions about which factors are the most important in shaping the evolution of dispersal mode in different plants or different environments. 3 The review of relationships between dispersal mode and other attributes of plants and their habitats lead to the following provisional conclusions; (i) seeds larger than 100 mg tend to be adapted for dispersal by vertebrates while those smaller than 0.1 mg tend to be unassisted; most seeds, however, are between 0.1 and 100 mg, and in this range all of the dispersal modes are feasible; (ii) plant growth form and stature (sometimes in relation to the canopy height of the vegetation) seem to exclude certain dispersal modes; (iii) the availability of specific dispersal vectors seems rarely to be an important determinant of dispersal mode; (iv) attributes of the physical environment also seem rarely to be important, except indirectly through their influence on plant stature and seed size.

@article{1994, abstract = {1 The dispersal mode adopted by a plant species is frequently associated with other attributes of the plant and its habitat. In this paper we review these associations and present a set of hypotheses which, when considered together, make a probabilistic prediction of the dispersal mode adopted by a plant species. When applied to a species list, the hypotheses can be used to generate a prediction of its dispersal spectrum, i.e. the percentages of different dispersal modes that have been adopted. 2 The formulation of such a set of hypotheses has several purposes: (i) to summarize existing knowledge about dispersal adaptations and their interrelations with other attributes of plants and their habitats; (ii) to couch that knowledge in such a way that falsifiable predictions can be made; (iii) to arrive at provisional conclusions about which factors are the most important in shaping the evolution of dispersal mode in different plants or different environments. 3 The review of relationships between dispersal mode and other attributes of plants and their habitats lead to the following provisional conclusions; (i) seeds larger than 100 mg tend to be adapted for dispersal by vertebrates while those smaller than 0.1 mg tend to be unassisted; most seeds, however, are between 0.1 and 100 mg, and in this range all of the dispersal modes are feasible; (ii) plant growth form and stature (sometimes in relation to the canopy height of the vegetation) seem to exclude certain dispersal modes; (iii) the availability of specific dispersal vectors seems rarely to be an important determinant of dispersal mode; (iv) attributes of the physical environment also seem rarely to be important, except indirectly through their influence on plant stature and seed size.}, added-at = {2009-11-11T22:41:46.000+0100}, author = {Hughes, Lesley and Dunlop, Michael and French, Kristine and Leishman, Michelle R. and Rice, Barbara and Rodgerson, Louise and Westoby, Mark}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/28c8a0c9b945ae107ad2defea636bc310/peter.ralph}, copyright = {Copyright © 1994 British Ecological Society}, interhash = {b0250ffccdcd03f5d1a2e5e83eb1d7dd}, intrahash = {8c8a0c9b945ae107ad2defea636bc310}, issn = {00220477}, journal = {Journal of Ecology}, jstor_articletype = {primary_article}, jstor_formatteddate = {Dec., 1994}, keywords = {data dispersal seed_dispersal theory travelling_wave}, number = 4, pages = {933--950}, publisher = {British Ecological Society}, timestamp = {2013-09-12T22:23:01.000+0200}, title = {Predicting Dispersal Spectra: A Minimal Set of Hypotheses Based on Plant Attributes}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/2261456}, volume = 82, year = 1994 }