Seed dispersal: Hungry hornets are unexpected and effective vectors

Rod Peakall; Björn Bohman

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.092

Seed dispersal: Hungry hornets are unexpected and effective vectors

Curr Biol. 2022 Aug 8;32(15):R836-R838. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.092.

Authors

Rod Peakall¹, Björn Bohman²

Affiliations

¹ Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia; School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia. Electronic address: rod.peakall@anu.edu.au.
² Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia; School of Molecular Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; Department of Plant Protection Biology, The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lomma 23422, Sweden.

PMID: 35944483
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.092

Abstract

A new study finds that, in the forests of tropical China, hungry hornets are lured to the fruits of Aquilaria sinensis by highly volatile compounds structurally similar to volatiles from herbivore-damaged leaves. The hornets disperse the short-lived seeds rapidly to optimal new habitats.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Animals
Ecosystem
Forests
Seed Dispersal*
Seeds
Wasps*