Competition for Dispersal in Ant-Dispersed Plants

Two closely related and coexisting plants (Chenopodiaceae) of the Australian arid zone are adapted for seed dispersal by ants. These facultatively perennial shrubs persist in saltbush communities largely as a result of highly directional dispersal to ant mounds, where conditions are favorable for establishment and growth. The two species grow predominantly on mounds and compete for dispersal to these favorable microhabitats.