Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T23:17:41.015Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Resistance of Benghal Dayflower (Commelina benghalensis) Seeds to Harsh Environments and the Implications for Dispersal by Mourning Doves (Zenaida macroura) in Georgia, U.S.A

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Russell H. Goddard ,
Theodore M. Webster ,
Richard Carter  and
Timothy L. Grey
Russell H. Goddard*
Affiliation:
Biology Department, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA 31698-0015
Theodore M. Webster
Affiliation:
Crop Protection and Management Research Unit, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Coastal Plain Experiment Station, P.O. Box 748, Tifton, GA 31793-0748
Richard Carter
Affiliation:
Biology Department, Valdosta State University, Valdosta, GA 31698-0015
Timothy L. Grey
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, University of Georgia–Tifton Campus, P.O. Box 748, Tifton, GA 31793-0748
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The potential dispersal of Benghal dayflower seeds by mourning doves was studied in southern Georgia, U.S.A. The gut contents (both crop and gizzard) of mourning doves harvested in the autumn months were investigated to determine if mourning doves fed on Benghal dayflower and whether seeds can survive conditions in the bird gut. Research indicated that mourning doves fed selectively on Benghal dayflower with some harvested birds containing hundreds of Benghal dayflower seeds and capsules in their guts. Further, some seeds recovered remained highly viable. Germination rates in seeds taken from bird crops were similar to controls over the first 4 wk of germination and enhanced over control treatments during the latter 16 wk of a 20-wk germination study. Ultimately, seeds extracted from dove crops had 92% germination as compared to 80% for control seeds. Seeds extracted from dove gizzards had 45% germination, about half that of controls. Benghal dayflower seeds have a structurally reinforced seed coat that probably aids in survival of mechanical damage through bird intestinal tracts. Benghal dayflower seeds exposed to 1.0 M HCl treatment for 2 h had little loss in viability, successfully germinating after such treatment. When evaluating mechanisms for the eradication of Benghal dayflower from agricultural crops, consideration needs to be given to the large number of mourning doves and other bird species that visit cropland and potentially aid in its dispersal.

Keywords

Benghal dayflower, Commelina benghalensis L. COMBEmourning dove, Zenaida macroura L.Exotic weedFederal Noxious Weed Listfrugivorygranivoryinvasive speciesinvasive weedseed dispersaltropical spiderwort
Type
Weed Biology and Ecology
Information
Weed Science , Volume 57 , Issue 6 , December 2009 , pp. 603 - 612
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Barnea, A., Yom-Tov, Y., and Friedman, J. 1991. Does ingestion by birds affect seed germination? Funct. Ecol. 5:394–402.Google Scholar
Bartuszevige, A. M. and Gorchov, D. L. 2006. Avian seed dispersal of an invasive shrub. Biol. Invasions. 8:1013–1922.Google Scholar
Best, L. B., Campa, H. III, Kemp, K. E., Robel, R. J., Ryan, M. R., Savidge, J. A., Weeks, H. P. Jr., and Winterstein, S. R. 1997. Bird abundance and nesting in CRP fields and cropland in the Midwest: a regional approach. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 25:864–877.Google Scholar
Blockstein, D. E., Maxwell, B. D., and Fay, P. K. 1987. Dispersal of leafy spurge seeds (Euphorbia esula) by mourning doves (Zenaida macroura). Weed Sci. 35:160–162.Google Scholar
Budd, G. D., Thomas, P. E. L., and Allison, J. C. S. 1979. Vegetative regeneration, depth of germination and seed dormancy in Commelina benghalensis L. Rhod. J. Agr. Res. 17:151–153.Google Scholar
Culpepper, A. S. 2006. Glyphosate-induced weed shifts. Weed Technol. 20:277–281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Culpepper, A. S., Flanders, J. T., York, A. C., and Webster, T. M. 2004. Tropical spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis) control in glyphosate-resistant cotton. Weed Technol. 18:432–436.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, R. F., Webster, T. M., and Brenneman, T. B. 2006. Host status of tropical spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis) for nematodes. Weed Sci. 54:1137–1141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Desaeger, J. and Rao, M. 2000. Parasitic nematode populations in natural fallows and improved cover crops and their effect on subsequent crops in Kenya. Field Crop Res. 65:41–56.Google Scholar
Durham, S. 2006. Controlling tropical spiderwort in the Southeast. Agr. Res. 54:7.Google Scholar
Faden, R. B. 1993. The misconstrued and rare species of Commelina (Commelinaceae) in the United States. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 80:208–218.Google Scholar
Gibbs, H. A. A. 2002. A monocot plant identified as an alternate host of the causal agent of bacterial spot of tomato and pepper. HortScience. 37:969–972.Google Scholar
Hayslette, S. E. and Mirarchi, R. E. 2001. Patterns of food preferences in mourning doves. J. Wildl. Manag. 65:816–827.Google Scholar
Holm, L. G., Plucknett, D. L., Pancho, J. V., and Herberger, J. P. 1977. The World's Worst Weeds: Distribution and Biology. Honolulu University Press of Hawaii.Google Scholar
Kaul, V., Sharma, N., and Koul, A. K. 2002. Reproductive effort and sex allocation strategy in Commelina benghalensis L., a common monsoon weed. Bot. J. Linnean Soc. 140:403–413.Google Scholar
Kim, S. Y., De Datta, S. K., and Mercado, B. L. 1990. The effect of chemical and heat treatments on germination of Commelina benghalensis L. aerial seeds. Weed Res. 30:109–116.Google Scholar
Kucharek, T. A., Purcifull, D. E., and Christie, R. G. 1998. The association of severe epidemics of cucumber mosaic in commercial fields of pepper and tobacco in North Florida with inoculum in Commelina benghalensis and C. communis. Plant Dis. 82:1172.Google Scholar
Losito, M. P. and Mirarchi, R. E. 1991. Summertime habitat use and movements of hatching-year mourning doves in northern Alabama. J. Wildl. Manage. 55:137–146.Google Scholar
Maheshwari, P. and Singh, B. 1934. A preliminary note on the morphology of the aerial and underground flowers of Commelina benghalensis, Linn. Curr. Sci. India. 3:158–160.Google Scholar
Matsuo, M., Michinaga, H., Terao, H., and Tsuzuki, E. 2004. Aerial seed germination and morphological characteristics of juvenile seedlings in Commelina benghalensis L. Weed Biol. Manag. 4:148–153.Google Scholar
Mirarchi, R. E. and Baskett, T. S. 1994. Mourning dove (Zenaida macroura). Pages 1–32. in. A. Poole, and F. Gill, eds. The Birds of North America, No. 117. Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences. Washington, DC. The American Ornithologists' Union.Google Scholar
Murray, K. G., Russell, S., Picone, C. M., Winnett-Murray, K., Sherwood, W., and Kuhlmann, M. L. 1994. Fruit laxatives and seed passage rates in frugivores: consequences for plant reproductive success. Ecology. 75:989–994.Google Scholar
Owen, M. D. K. and Zelaya, I. A. 2005. Herbicide-resistant crops and weed resistance to herbicides. Pest Manag. Sci. 61:301–311.Google Scholar
Peters, J. 2000. Tetrazolium Testing Handbook. Contribution No. 29 to the Handbook on Seed Testing. Lincoln, NE Association of Official Seed Analysts.Google Scholar
Richardson, D. M., Allsopp, N., D'Antonio, C. M., Milton, S. J., and Rejmanek, M. 2000. Plant invasions: the role of mutualisms. Biol. Rev. 75:65–93.Google ScholarPubMed
Robertson, A. W., Trass, A., Ladley, J. J., and Kelly, D. 2006. Assessing the benefits of frugivory for seed germination: the importance of the deinhibition effect. Funct. Ecol. 20:58–66.Google Scholar
Samuels, I. A. and Levey, D. J. 2005. Effects of gut passage on seed germination: do experiments answer the questions they ask? Funct. Ecol. 19:365–368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scher, J. 2005. Federal Noxious Weed Disseminules of the U.S. Lucid v. 2. USDA-APHIS Center for Plant Health Science and Technology and California Department of Food and Agriculture. http://www.lucidcentral.org/keys/FNW/FNW%20seeds/html/fact%20sheets/Commelina%20benghalensis.htm. Accessed: June 30, 2008.Google Scholar
Traveset, A., Riera, N., and Mas, R. 2001a. Ecology of fruit-colour polymorphism in Myrtus communis and differential effects of birds and mammals on seed germination and seedling growth. J. Ecol. 89:749–760.Google Scholar
Traveset, A., Riera, N., and Mas, R. 2001b. Passage through bird guts causes interspecific differences in seed germination characteristics. Funct. Ecol. 15:669–675.Google Scholar
Walker, S. R. and Evenson, J. P. 1985. Biology of Commelina benghalensis L. in south-eastern Queensland. 1. Growth, development and seed production. Weed Res. 25:239–244.Google Scholar
Webster, T. M., Burton, M. G., Culpepper, A. S., York, A. C., and Prostko, E. P. 2005. Tropical spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis): a tropical invader threatens agroecosystems of the southern United States. Weed Technol. 19:501–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Welty, J. C. and Baptista, L. 1988. The Life of Birds. 4th ed. Orlando, FL Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 581.Google Scholar