[Seed dispersal efficiency of forest herbaceous plant species by the ant Myrmica ruginodis]

We compared the ability of 33 plant species collected in forest to have their seeds dispersed by the wood red ant Myrmica ruginodis. The elaiosome-bearing seeds (species Chelidonium majus, Colchicum autumnale, Luzula forsteri, Viola reichenbachiana, Luzula multiflora, Melica uniflora) and the small and light caryopses of the grasses (Holcus mollis, Agrostis capillaris, Deschampsia flexuosa, Poa trivialis, Holcus lanatus) are the most efficiently collected by ants. The seed quantity removed by ants is correlated negatively with their length. No significant correlation is found between the rate of seed removal and the frequency of the plants in the field at the scale of the study.