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Abstract Commensal relationships between wild plants and their dispersers play a key ecological and evolutionary role in community structure and function. While non-human dispersers are often considered critical to plant recruitment, human dispersers have received much less attention, especially when it comes to non-domesticated plants. Australia, as a continent historically characterized by economies reliant on non-domesticated plants, is thus a key system for exploring the ecological role of people as seed dispersers in the absence of agriculture. Here, we utilize a controlled observation research design, employing ecological surveys and ethnographic observations to examine how seed dispersal and landscape burning by Martu Aboriginal people affects the distribution of three preferred plants and one (edible, but non-preferred) control species. Using an information theoretic approach, we find that the three preferred plants show evidence of human dispersal, with the strongest evidence supporting anthropogenic dispersal for the wild bush tomato,Solanum diversiflorum. 

PremiseThe ability to sequence genome‐scale data from herbarium specimens would allow for the economical development of data sets with broad taxonomic and geographic sampling that would otherwise not be possible. Here, we evaluate the utility of a basic double‐digest restriction site–associatedDNAsequencing (ddRADseq) protocol usingDNAs from four genera extracted from both silica‐dried and herbarium tissue. MethodsDNAs fromDraba,Boechera,Solidago, andIlexwere processed with a ddRADseq protocol. The effects ofDNAdegradation, taxon, and specimen age were assessed. ResultsAlthough taxon, preservation method, and specimen age affected data recovery, large phylogenetically informative data sets were obtained from the majority of samples. DiscussionThese results suggest that herbarium samples can be incorporated into ddRADseq project designs, and that specimen age can be used as a rapid on‐site guide for sample choice. The detailed protocol we provide will allow users to pursue herbarium‐based ddRADseq projects that minimize the expenses associated with fieldwork and sample evaluation.