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Landscape Corridors--Pathway for Seed Dispersal
Scientists studying the effect of habitat corridors on long-distance dispersal of seeds by birds, found that berry-eating bluebirds transfer more of a plant's seeds between habitats connected by corridors--clear tracts of land intended to help maintain biodiversity by allowing animals to move between otherwise isolated natural areas--than between those that are unconnected. Biologists placed wax myrtle branches with ripe berries in central clearings, marking the berries with a harmless florescent dye so that they could track the berries' whereabouts. Using the florescent markers, they were able to identify seeds that came from plants in the central patches. Seeds were more likely to be found in the central clearings of connected patches than in the central clearings of isolated patches.
This image accompanied NSF press release, "Landscape Corridors Provide Pathway for Seed Dispersal."
Credit: Nicolle Rager Fuller, National Science Foundation
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