Ornithochory

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Ornithochory

 

the distribution by birds of fruits and seeds of plants; a somewhat uncommon type of zoochory. Birds carry seeds and fruits in their tarsi, bills, or cheek pouches. They hide food reserves near tree stumps, under moss, and elsewhere. Some seeds do not lose their viability after passing through the digestive tract of certain birds, such as buntings, robins, and thrushes. Sometimes fruits and seeds cling to the feathers, bills, or feet of birds and are thus distributed.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
Aerial dispersal, most likely through ornithochory, is also considered to be important, at least on a local scale.
First record of Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, 1880 (Hydrozoa, Limnomedusae) in a natural freshwater lagoon of Uruguay, with notes on polyp stage in captivity/Primeiro registro de Craspedacusta sowerbii Lankester, 1880 (Hydrozoa, Limnomedusae) em uma lagoa natural de agua doce do Uruguai, com observances da fase de polipo em cativeiro
Mammalochory, dispersal by mammals, and ornithochory, dispersal by birds, are also found.
Color and odor of artificial fruit used to signal potential dispersers in the Atlantic forest in Brazil
Seed dispersal in the tree Commiphora guillaumini: a combination of ornithochory and myrmecochory in a dry tropical forest in western Madagascar.
Importance of primary and secondary seed dispersal in the malagasy tree Commiphora guillaumini
Frugivory of transient and wintering European robins Erithacus rubecula in a Mediterranean region and its relationship with ornithochory. Holarctic Ecology 8:157-163.
Long-term dynamics of Mediterranean frugivorous birds and fleshy fruits: a 12-year study
jamacaru fruits present characteristics indicating ornithochory as their dispersion syndrome (as is common by cactus species) (Silva, 1988; Leon de la Luz and Dominguez, 1991; Silvius, 1995; Soriano et al., 1999; Ruiz et al., 2000; Godinez-Alvarez et al., 2002; Naranjo et al., 2003; Carlos Rengifo et al., 2007) and represent an important food resource for the avifauna.
Frugivory and seed dispersal by birds in Cereus jamacaru DC. ssp. jamacaru (Cactaceae) in the Caatinga of Northeastern Brazil/Frugivoria e dispersao de sementes por aves em Cereus jamacaru DC. ssp. jamacaru (Cactaceae) na Caatinga, uma floresta seca no Nordeste do Brasil

Encyclopedia browser ?
Full browser ?