ReviewInsects2026
Vulnerability of Myrmecochory to Anthropogenic Disturbances and Climate Change: An Ecological Synthesis.
Review in Insects, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Myrmecochory is a form of seed dispersal mediated by ants. Although this mechanism of dispersal has received less research attention than other dispersal processes, the wide distribution and high biomass of ants mean that it can strongly influence plant dispersal patterns. In particular, the underlying mechanisms and key agents of myrmecochory remain poorly understood in the context of anthropogenic perturbations; furthermore, such research is especially scarce in East Asia. This review aims to elucidate the ecological mechanisms underlying myrmecochory, to explore how this interaction may be affected by urbanization and climate change, and to determine its potential ecological role in disturbed ecosystems. We first review past research on the three major hypotheses proposed for the emergence of ant-mediated seed dispersal-directed dispersal, distance dispersal, and predator avoidance. We then compile taxonomic information on myrmecochorous plants and ants from global databases and regional literature, expanding the checklist of Korean myrmecochorous plants to 130 species and reclassifying them as endangered, rare, or endemic. Our synthesis suggests that invasive ants could threaten myrmecochory by displacing native myrmecochorous ants, increasing seed predation, and facilitating the dispersal of invasive plants. Moreover, the urban heat island effect and habitat fragmentation could disturb the dispersal, germination, and growth of myrmecochorous plants, threats that may be further intensified by climate-driven phenological mismatches. Consequently, in temperate East Asian countries experiencing anthropogenically generated environmental changes, myrmecochory emerges as a pivotal ecological process that underscores ecosystem vulnerability and resilience. Ultimately, incorporating these plant-ant interactions into biodiversity monitoring is essential for predicting ecosystem shifts and designing robust, proactive conservation strategies in changing environments.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.