Wallace H M, Trueman S J
Department of Entomology, University of Queensland, 4072, QLD, Australia.
School of Botany, La Trobe University, 3083, Bundoora, Vic, Australia.
Oecologia. 1995 Sep;104(1):12-16. doi: 10.1007/BF00365556.
Ants are the only group of invertebrates currently identified as significant dispersers of seeds, but we report here the dispersal of Eucalyptus torelliana seeds by bees. Fruits of E. torelliana produce resin which is collected by workers of the stingless bee Trigona carbonaria. Seeds adhere to resin in the workers' corbiculate and are transported to the nest. Workers transported seeds distances of more than 300 m from the parent tree and seeds at the nest were viable and capable of germination. Seeds were removed from the nests by workers and discarded away from the nest, and E. torelliana trees became established in the vicinity of colonies of T. carbonaria. 'Mellitochory' may be a novel method of seed dispersal where bees are dispersers, and associated with fruits that produce resin as an attractant for bees.
蚂蚁是目前唯一被确定为种子重要传播者的无脊椎动物群体，但我们在此报告蜜蜂对托雷氏桉种子的传播情况。托雷氏桉的果实会产生树脂，无刺蜂Trigona carbonaria的工蜂会采集这种树脂。种子附着在工蜂花粉筐中的树脂上，并被运到蜂巢。工蜂将种子从母树运到距离超过300米的地方，蜂巢中的种子是有活力的且能够发芽。工蜂会将种子从蜂巢中取出并丢弃在蜂巢外，托雷氏桉在Trigona carbonaria蜂群附近得以生长。“蜂播”可能是一种新的种子传播方式，即蜜蜂作为传播者，且与产生树脂以吸引蜜蜂的果实相关。
