Incorporating Cache Management Behavior into Seed Dispersal: The Effect of Pericarp Removal on Acorn Germination
Selecting seeds for long-term storage is a key factor for food hoarding animals. Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus) remove the pericarp and scatter hoard sound acorns of Quercus mongolica over those that are insect-infested to maximize returns from caches. We have no knowledge of whether these chipmunks remove the pericarp from acorns of other species of oaks and if this behavior benefits seedling establishment. In this study, we tested whether Siberian chipmunks engage in this behavior with acorns of three other Chinese oak species, Q. variabilis, Q. aliena and Q. serrata var. brevipetiolata, and how the dispersal and germination of these acorns are affected. Our results show that when chipmunks were provided with sound and infested acorns of Quercus variabilis, Q. aliena and Q. serrata var. brevipetiolata, the two types were equally harvested and dispersed. This preference suggests that Siberian chipmunks are incapable of distinguishing between sound and insect-infested acorns. However, Siberian chipmunks removed the pericarp from acorns of these three oak species prior to dispersing and caching them. Consequently, significantly more sound acorns were scatter hoarded and more infested acorns were immediately consumed. Additionally, indoor germination experiments showed that pericarp removal by chipmunks promoted acorn germination while artificial removal showed no significant effect. Our results show that pericarp removal allows Siberian chipmunks to effectively discriminate against insect-infested acorns and may represent an adaptive behavior for cache management. Because of the germination patterns of pericarp-removed acorns, we argue that the foraging behavior of Siberian chipmunks could have potential impacts on the dispersal and germination of acorns from various oak species.
Trait-mediated seed predation, dispersal and survival among frugivore-dispersed plants in a fragmented subtropical forest, Southwest China.
By tracking the fate of individual seeds from 6 frugivore-dispersed plants with contrasting seed traits in a fragmented subtropical forest in Southwest China, we explored how rodent seed predation and hoarding were influenced by seed traits such as seed size, seed coat hardness and seed profitability. Post-dispersal seed fates varied significantly among the 6 seed species and 3 patterns were witnessed: large-seeded species with a hard seed coat (i.e. Choerospoadias axillaries and Diospyros kaki var. silvestris) had more seeds removed, cached and then surviving at caches, and they also had fewer seeds predated but a higher proportion of seeds surviving at the source; medium-sized species with higher profitability and thinner seed coat (i.e. Phoebe zhennan and Padus braohypoda) were first harvested and had the lowest probability of seeds surviving either at the source or at caches due to higher predation before or after removal; and small-seeded species with lower profitability (i.e. Elaeocarpus japonicas and Cornus controversa) had the highest probability of seeds surviving at the source but the lowest probability of seeds surviving at caches due to lower predation at the source and lower hoarding at caches. Our study indicates that patterns of seed predation, dispersal and survival among frugivore-dispersed plants are highly determined by seed traits such as seed size, seed defense and seed profitability due to selective predation and hoarding by seed-eating rodents. Therefore, trait-mediated seed predation, dispersal and survival via seed-eating rodents can largely affect population and community dynamics of frugivore-dispersed plants in fragmented forests.
The British Museum (Natural History) — University of London Joint Palæontological Expedition to Northern Rhodesia and Tanganyika, 1963
The British Museum (Natural History) — University of London Joint Palaeontological Expedition to Northern Rhodesia and Tanganyika, 1963