Myrmecochory

Myrmecochory is seed dispersal by ants, which carry seeds bearing nutrient-rich appendages called elaiosomes. Ants consume the appendages and often leave the seeds intact in or near their nests.

Elaiosome: A nutrient-rich structure attached to some seeds that attracts ants and is eaten by them. This appendage is the food reward that induces ants to carry seeds.
Seed: A plant structure containing an embryo and stored resources, capable of developing into a new plant. Myrmecochory concerns the movement of seeds rather than pollen or fruits.
Seed dispersal syndrome: A set of seed traits associated with a particular mode of dispersal. Elaiosomes are a characteristic trait associated with ant dispersal.
Dispersal distance: The distance a propagule travels from its source before arriving at a potential establishment site. Ants usually move seeds over shorter distances than many vertebrate dispersers.
Dispersal limitation: A restriction on a species’ distribution caused by its inability to reach otherwise suitable sites. How much ant transport relieves this restriction depends on movement distances and landscape conditions.
Seed dispersal: The movement of seeds away from their parent plants before germination. Ants provide one animal-mediated route for moving seeds.
Plant–animal interaction: An ecological relationship in which plants and animals affect one another’s survival or reproduction. Ants and plants interact through the seed’s food-bearing appendage.
Forest regeneration: The renewal of forest vegetation through the establishment and growth of new plants. Ant-transported seeds can contribute to plant recruitment in forest habitats.
Seed bank: A reserve of viable seeds stored in soil or plant litter. Seeds deposited in or near nests may enter local soil seed reserves.
Directed dispersal: Seed movement that places propagules in locations with unusually favorable conditions for establishment. Whether ants deliver seeds to especially favorable microsites remains context dependent.

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