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Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus (Murayama), Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

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Vector activity and propagule size affect dispersal potential by vertebrates.

Casper H A van Leeuwen¹, Marthe L Tollenaar, Marcel Klaassen

¹Aquatic Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (NIOO-KNAW), P.O. Box 50, 6700 AB, Wageningen, The Netherlands. c.vanleeuwen@nioo.knaw.nl

|March 16, 2012

Summary

Vector animal activity significantly impacts endozoochory, the dispersal of organisms via animal digestion. Active swimming increases propagule excretion, suggesting current dispersal estimates for invasive species may be overestimated.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Zoology
Conservation Biology

Background:

Endozoochory, the dispersal of small organisms via vertebrate digestion, is crucial for species distribution.
Dispersal distances are often estimated using resting vector animals, potentially misrepresenting natural conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effect of vector animal physical activity on propagule dispersal efficiency.
To compare digestive processes in mallards under swimming, wading, and resting conditions.

Main Methods:

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed plastic markers and aquatic gastropods.
Propagule retrieval and survival were monitored in droppings over 24 hours.
Digestive characteristics were compared across swimming, wading, and isolation treatments.

Main Results:

Swimming mallards excreted 1.5-2.3 times more markers than resting birds within the first 5 hours.
Marker retention times were reduced by approximately 1 hour (swimming) and 0.5 hours (wading).
Digestive intensity of gastropods was not solely dependent on activity level; larger markers reduced discharge rates.

Conclusions:

Previous estimates of propagule dispersal distances based on resting vectors likely overestimate distances.
Propagule survival during endozoochory may be underestimated in active vectors.
Findings impact understanding of invasive species spread, metapopulation dynamics, and long-distance colonization.