Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory
Seeds dispersed by endozoochory by large herbivores are disseminated over long distances, which has potential impacts on vegetation dynamics within a region. The Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) is a dominant deer species in South Korea, but is considered a vulnerable species interna...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420309094 |
| _version_ | 1818606024222834688 |
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| author | Seung-Kyung Lee Eun Ju Lee |
| author_facet | Seung-Kyung Lee Eun Ju Lee |
| author_sort | Seung-Kyung Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Seeds dispersed by endozoochory by large herbivores are disseminated over long distances, which has potential impacts on vegetation dynamics within a region. The Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) is a dominant deer species in South Korea, but is considered a vulnerable species internationally. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the role of Korean water deer in seed dispersal in lowland areas where land-use change is occurring. We assessed seasonal differences in seed dispersal in Korean water deer, and the traits of seeds dispersed in this manner. We identified species dispersed by controlled germination using Korean water deer fecal samples from the Civilian Control Zone adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea, a mixed lowland habitat of forest and open area. A total of 208 fecal pellet groups were collected throughout the year from April 2017 to March 2018. We found a total of 35 plant species from the deer feces. More seeds and species were dispersed in fall, the main seeding period in South Korea. Dispersed plant species were mainly forbs that were specific to lowland areas and had medium (1–2 mm) seeds with no specific dispersal adaptations. Our results suggest that Korean water deer preferentially disperse particular plant species. They disperse disproportionately more graminoids, species from open areas, shorter than 2 mm, with no special adaptation, and specifically without fleshy/edible fruits, which may result in ecological filtering. We conclude that Korean water deer, as an endozoochorous seed dispersal vector in the lowland of South Korea, can affect plant populations and communities in the region. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:04:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fb823b998acc4e5280549d89f6e7e5a1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:04:16Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-fb823b998acc4e5280549d89f6e7e5a12022-12-21T22:28:58ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942020-12-0124e01368Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochorySeung-Kyung Lee0Eun Ju Lee1School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of KoreaCorresponding author.; School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of KoreaSeeds dispersed by endozoochory by large herbivores are disseminated over long distances, which has potential impacts on vegetation dynamics within a region. The Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) is a dominant deer species in South Korea, but is considered a vulnerable species internationally. In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the role of Korean water deer in seed dispersal in lowland areas where land-use change is occurring. We assessed seasonal differences in seed dispersal in Korean water deer, and the traits of seeds dispersed in this manner. We identified species dispersed by controlled germination using Korean water deer fecal samples from the Civilian Control Zone adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone between South and North Korea, a mixed lowland habitat of forest and open area. A total of 208 fecal pellet groups were collected throughout the year from April 2017 to March 2018. We found a total of 35 plant species from the deer feces. More seeds and species were dispersed in fall, the main seeding period in South Korea. Dispersed plant species were mainly forbs that were specific to lowland areas and had medium (1–2 mm) seeds with no specific dispersal adaptations. Our results suggest that Korean water deer preferentially disperse particular plant species. They disperse disproportionately more graminoids, species from open areas, shorter than 2 mm, with no special adaptation, and specifically without fleshy/edible fruits, which may result in ecological filtering. We conclude that Korean water deer, as an endozoochorous seed dispersal vector in the lowland of South Korea, can affect plant populations and communities in the region.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420309094EndozoochorySeed dispersalKorean water deerHydropotes inermis argyropusPlant-animal interactionsDemilitarized zone |
| spellingShingle | Seung-Kyung Lee Eun Ju Lee Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory Global Ecology and Conservation Endozoochory Seed dispersal Korean water deer Hydropotes inermis argyropus Plant-animal interactions Demilitarized zone |
| title | Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory |
| title_full | Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory |
| title_fullStr | Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory |
| title_full_unstemmed | Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory |
| title_short | Internationally vulnerable Korean water deer (Hydropotes inermis argyropus) can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory |
| title_sort | internationally vulnerable korean water deer hydropotes inermis argyropus can act as an ecological filter by endozoochory |
| topic | Endozoochory Seed dispersal Korean water deer Hydropotes inermis argyropus Plant-animal interactions Demilitarized zone |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989420309094 |
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