The Guild of Myrmecochores in the Herbaceous Flora of West Virginia Forests

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Abstract
Analysis of herbaceous vegetation and ant activity in random quadrats from 10 forest sites in West Virginia, USA, shows that ant—dispersed (myrmecochorous) plant species constitute about 30% of the herbaceous flora. Twenty—one such species were encountered in this study, three of which were not previously known myrmecochores: Carex jamesii, C. laxiculmis and Luzula echinata. Ant activity is a good predictor of the number of myrmecochorous species at a given site. There is also a weak correlation between ant activity and overall herbaceous species richness. A matrix of correlation coefficients and Wisconsin ordination suggest that the ant—dispersed species constitute a guild. The number of species in a guild for a given site may be limited by competition for ant diaspore vectors, and/or germination microsites. These resources are likely to be especially critical for shade—adapted forest herbs which experience nutrient stress. The ant—diaspore mutualism is viewed as a strategy to overcome nutrient scarcity, and the present study shows clearly that it is a major factor in forest herbaceous communities.