Seed dispersal by ants in the fully mycoheterotrophic plant Sciaphila secundiflora (Triuridaceae)

The tiny seeds, or dust seeds, of heterotrophic plants are usually dispersed by wind. However, most mycoheterotrophic plants grow in the understory of densely vegetated forests, where the wind is less reliable and wind dispersal is likely less efficient. In the present study, we found that seeds of the fully mycoheterotrophic plant Sciaphila secundiflora (Triuridaceae) possess elaiosomes, and that at least one species of ant, Nylanderia flavipes, functions as a dispersal agent of the plant's seeds. This is the first demonstration of myrmecochory in mycoheterotrophic plants, as well as the first report of zoochory in Triuridaceae.