Removal of Nonmyrmecochorous Seeds by Ants: Role of Ants in Cattle Grasslands

Table 2

Mean seed removal of nonmyrmecochorous seeds by ants in cattle grasslands. Standard errors are shown for seed weights.

Type of seed	Species	Seed weight (g)	Ant access		Ant exclusion
			Seeds removed	Removal percentage	Seeds removed	Removal percentage
Arillated	G. ulmifolia	0.005 ± 0.00	672	56.0%	35	2.9
	P. dulce	0.307 ± 0.10	300	25.0%	0	0.0
	P. ligularis	0.16 ± 0.02	656	54.7%	N/A*	N/A
Nonarillated	S. spectabilis	0.026 ± 0.00	109	9.1%	14	1.2
	L. leucocephala	0.062 ± 0.01	55	4.6%	4	0.3
	A. saman	0.233 ± 0.03	35	2.9%	0	0.0
	Total		1827	25.4%	53	4.4%

*N/A: Not Applicable. Ant exclosures were not performed in P. ligularis transect.