Abstract
The transport of seeds by water, i.e. hydrochory, is a key mechanism of long-distance dispersal constrained by the attributes of the seed and hydrodynamics. In the freshwater Amazon estuary, river hydrodynamics are influenced by seasonal changes in precipitation and tidal cycles. It is not known to what extent a hydrodynamic model may be able to predict seed dispersal. Here we parameterised a simulation model (SisBaHia) to estimate maximum seed dispersal distances per tidal cycle, which were then compared with data from in situ seed dispersal experiments. The study was conducted along a 27-km stretch of a tributary of the Amazon estuary, using the seeds of a widely distributed riparian tree—Carapa guianensis (Meliaceae). Based on the simulation model, maximum potential seed dispersal distance was higher in the rainy season (c. 8.7 km) when compared with the dry season (5.6 km), for one tidal cycle (12 hr). The seeds of C. guianensis were dispersed further during the ebb than flood tide during the rainy season, the period of seed dispersal. Average dispersal distances observed in seed dispersal experiments conducted during the rainy season, and those predicted by SisBaHia for the same period were within the same order of magnitude. The results of this study confirm that the period of higher precipitation provides favourable hydrological conditions for hydrochory in the Amazon river-estuary complex. The fact that the time taken for the tide to fall is longer in relation to the time taken for it to rise also favours the arrival of the seeds in the main channel of the Amazon, thereby increasing the probability of long-distance dispersal events.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1721-1729 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Freshwater Biology |
| Volume | 62 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1 2017 |
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Keywords
- Carapa guianensis
- long-distance dispersal
- modelling
- simulation
- tidal river
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Aquatic Science
Cite this
Hydrodynamics and seed dispersal in the lower Amazon. / da Cunha, Alan Cavalcanti; Mustin, Karen; dos Santos, Eldo Silva; dos Santos, Éwerton Wânderson Gonçalves; Guedes, Marcelino Carneiro; Cunha, Helenilza Ferreira Albuquerque; Rosman, Paulo Cesar Colonna; Sternberg, Leonel.
In: Freshwater Biology, Vol. 62, No. 10, 01.10.2017, p. 1721-1729.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Hydrodynamics and seed dispersal in the lower Amazon
AU - da Cunha, Alan Cavalcanti
AU - Mustin, Karen
AU - dos Santos, Eldo Silva
AU - dos Santos, Éwerton Wânderson Gonçalves
AU - Guedes, Marcelino Carneiro
AU - Cunha, Helenilza Ferreira Albuquerque
AU - Rosman, Paulo Cesar Colonna
AU - Sternberg, Leonel
PY - 2017/10/1
Y1 - 2017/10/1
N2 - The transport of seeds by water, i.e. hydrochory, is a key mechanism of long-distance dispersal constrained by the attributes of the seed and hydrodynamics. In the freshwater Amazon estuary, river hydrodynamics are influenced by seasonal changes in precipitation and tidal cycles. It is not known to what extent a hydrodynamic model may be able to predict seed dispersal. Here we parameterised a simulation model (SisBaHia) to estimate maximum seed dispersal distances per tidal cycle, which were then compared with data from in situ seed dispersal experiments. The study was conducted along a 27-km stretch of a tributary of the Amazon estuary, using the seeds of a widely distributed riparian tree—Carapa guianensis (Meliaceae). Based on the simulation model, maximum potential seed dispersal distance was higher in the rainy season (c. 8.7 km) when compared with the dry season (5.6 km), for one tidal cycle (12 hr). The seeds of C. guianensis were dispersed further during the ebb than flood tide during the rainy season, the period of seed dispersal. Average dispersal distances observed in seed dispersal experiments conducted during the rainy season, and those predicted by SisBaHia for the same period were within the same order of magnitude. The results of this study confirm that the period of higher precipitation provides favourable hydrological conditions for hydrochory in the Amazon river-estuary complex. The fact that the time taken for the tide to fall is longer in relation to the time taken for it to rise also favours the arrival of the seeds in the main channel of the Amazon, thereby increasing the probability of long-distance dispersal events.
AB - The transport of seeds by water, i.e. hydrochory, is a key mechanism of long-distance dispersal constrained by the attributes of the seed and hydrodynamics. In the freshwater Amazon estuary, river hydrodynamics are influenced by seasonal changes in precipitation and tidal cycles. It is not known to what extent a hydrodynamic model may be able to predict seed dispersal. Here we parameterised a simulation model (SisBaHia) to estimate maximum seed dispersal distances per tidal cycle, which were then compared with data from in situ seed dispersal experiments. The study was conducted along a 27-km stretch of a tributary of the Amazon estuary, using the seeds of a widely distributed riparian tree—Carapa guianensis (Meliaceae). Based on the simulation model, maximum potential seed dispersal distance was higher in the rainy season (c. 8.7 km) when compared with the dry season (5.6 km), for one tidal cycle (12 hr). The seeds of C. guianensis were dispersed further during the ebb than flood tide during the rainy season, the period of seed dispersal. Average dispersal distances observed in seed dispersal experiments conducted during the rainy season, and those predicted by SisBaHia for the same period were within the same order of magnitude. The results of this study confirm that the period of higher precipitation provides favourable hydrological conditions for hydrochory in the Amazon river-estuary complex. The fact that the time taken for the tide to fall is longer in relation to the time taken for it to rise also favours the arrival of the seeds in the main channel of the Amazon, thereby increasing the probability of long-distance dispersal events.
KW - Carapa guianensis
KW - long-distance dispersal
KW - modelling
KW - simulation
KW - tidal river
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85026505466&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85026505466&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/fwb.12982
DO - 10.1111/fwb.12982
M3 - Article
VL - 62
SP - 1721
EP - 1729
JO - Freshwater Biology
JF - Freshwater Biology
SN - 0046-5070
IS - 10
ER -