2017
The porcupine as “Little Thumbling”: The role of Hystrix cristata in the spread of Helianthus tuberosus
MORI, Emiliano, Giuseppe MAZZA, Andrea GALIMBERTI, Claudia ANGIOLINI, Gianmaria BONARI et. al.Základní údaje
Originální název
The porcupine as “Little Thumbling”: The role of Hystrix cristata in the spread of Helianthus tuberosus
Autoři
MORI, Emiliano (380 Itálie), Giuseppe MAZZA (380 Itálie), Andrea GALIMBERTI (380 Itálie), Claudia ANGIOLINI (380 Itálie) a Gianmaria BONARI (380 Itálie, garant, domácí)
Vydání
Biologia, Berlin, WALTER DE GRUYTER GMBH, 2017, 0006-3088
Další údaje
Jazyk
angličtina
Typ výsledku
Článek v odborném periodiku
Obor
10600 1.6 Biological sciences
Stát vydavatele
Německo
Utajení
není předmětem státního či obchodního tajemství
Odkazy
Impakt faktor
Impact factor: 0.696
Kód RIV
RIV/00216224:14310/17:00098854
Organizační jednotka
Přírodovědecká fakulta
UT WoS
000416046200013
Klíčová slova anglicky
alien species; barcoding; crested porcupine; dispersal; endozoochory; Jerusalem artichoke
Příznaky
Mezinárodní význam, Recenzováno
Změněno: 12. 4. 2018 14:39, Ing. Nicole Zrilić
Anotace
V originále
The spread of alien invasive plants deserves strong and applied attention by conservation biologists, because it is regarded as one of the main causes of loss of native biodiversity. Herbivore species may be involved in the dispersal of invasive plants through zoochory. The Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus is an invasive species in Europe, which has been introduced from North America and has shown a rapid spread in newly colonized areas. Crested porcupine Hystrix cristata mainly feed on this species (seeds and tubers) during its flowering period (i.e., late summer, early autumn) and it is suggested to be responsible for its spread through endozoochory. In this paper, the germination rate of the Jerusalem artichoke from faecal pellets of crested porcupines was analysed. Faecal pellets, collected between September and November 2016, were left to germinate at environmental conditions in sterile potting soil. After two weeks, germinated seedlings were genetically identified through DNA barcoding analyses. We reported the first case of endozoochory by the crested porcupine. The results showed a low germination rate (i.e., 16.7% out of 12 excrements), possibly because the digestive tract of crested porcupines affects the propagule viability. Despite this, the Jerusalem artichoke is showing a rapid and alarming increasing trend in our study area, suggesting that a potential role by wildlife may have been occurred. Given the high invasive potential of this plant species, further researches are required to assess and quantify the potential role of herbivores as dispersal agents.