Conclusions and outlook

Abstract

The general scenario of the diaspore dispersal by ants is rather clear: elaiosome-bearing diaspores are removed and transported by ants to their nests; ants consume energetically valuable elaiosomes and throw the diaspores away. Our results, however, demonstrate that current understanding of myrmecochorous relationships is too generalised. In this book, which is focused on one ecosystem with several spatially co-existing species of plants and ants, we show the range of possible mechanisms in plant-ant complexes. We quantified the ant attraction, diaspore transporting, dropping, and relocation; we explored geometric constraints on carrying abilities, examined factors causing seedling survival between microsites in relation to different ant behaviours, and presented computer simulations for showing how dropping and relocation can be influenced by different factors.