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Meng X, Huang G, Wang Z, Niu H, Zhang H. Asymmetric competition for seeds between two sympatric food hoarding rodents: implications for coexistence. Integr Zool 2023; 18:817-830. [PMID: 35416418 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Asymmetric competition occurs when some species have distinct advantages over their competitors and is common in animals with overlapping habitats and diet. However, the mechanism allowing coexistence between asymmetric competitors is not fully clear. Chinese white-bellied rats (Niviventer confucianus, CWR) and Korean field mice (Apodemus peninsulae, KFM) are common asymmetric competitors in shrublands and forests west of Beijing city. They share similar diet (e.g. plant seeds) and activity (nocturnal), but differ in body size (CWR are bigger than KFM), food hoarding habit (CWR: mainly larder hoarding; KFM: both larder and scatter hoarding), and ability to protect cached food (CWR are more aggressive than KFM). Here, we tested seed competition in 15 CWR-KFM pairs over a 10-day period under semi-natural enclosure conditions to uncover the differences in food hoarding, cache pilferage, and food protection between the 2 rodents, and discuss the implication for coexistence. Prior to pilferage, CWR harvested and ate more seeds than KFM. CWR tended to larder hoard seeds, whereas KFM preferred to scatter hoard seeds. Following pilferage, CWR increased consumption, decreased intensity of hoarding, and pilfered more caches from KFM than they lost, while KFM increased consumption more than they hoarded, and they preferred to hoard seeds in low and medium competition areas. Accordingly, both of the 2 rodent species increased their total energy consumption and hoarding following pilferage. Both rodent species tended to harvest seeds from the source, rather than pilfer caches from each other to compensate for cache loss via pilferage. Compared to CWR, KFM consumed fewer seeds when considering seed number, but hoarded more seeds when considering the seeds' relative energy (energy of hoarded seeds/rodent body mass2/3 ) at the end of the trials. These results suggest that asymmetric competition for food exists between CWR and KFM, but differentiation in hoarding behavior could help the subordinate species (i.e. KFM) hoard more energy than the dominant species (i.e. CWR), and may contribute to their coexistence in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Meng
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guangchuan Huang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhiyong Wang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongyu Niu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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Luo Y, Cheng J, Yan X, Yang H, Shen Y, Ge J, Zhang M, Zhang J, Xu Z. Density-Dependent Seed Predation of Quercus wutaishanica by Rodents in Response to Different Seed States. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1732. [PMID: 37889661 PMCID: PMC10251812 DOI: 10.3390/ani13111732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The predation and/or dispersal of Quercus seeds by rodents play an important role in the creation of the tree species. The present study examined the effects of community habitats on the predation and dispersal of Quercus wutaishanica seeds by rodents. We released seeds with densities set at 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 seed square meter with litter cover, soil burial, and bare ground in the Liupan Mountains National Nature Reserve in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwest China. The results showed that (1) the litter cover and soil burial significantly increased the seed survival probability compared with bare ground treatments, especially the predation in situ (PIS) (p < 0.05). Both the scatter hoarding (SH) and larder hoarding (LH) for litter cover and soil burial were significantly increased compared with bare ground (p < 0.05). (2) The large seeds are preferentially predated after dispersal and their long-distance dispersal (>5 m) was significantly greater than that of small seeds (p < 0.05), while small seeds are more likely to be preyed on in situ or during short-distance dispersal (<3 m). (3) The Q. wutaishanica seed predation by rodents increased at a high density rather than at a low density, indicating a negative density-dependent predation. These findings provide insights into the ecological characteristics of Quercus tree regeneration and shed light on the coexistence between rodents and different-sized seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghong Luo
- School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China (Y.S.)
| | - Jiming Cheng
- School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Xingfu Yan
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Hui Yang
- College of Biological Science and Engineering, North Minzu University, Yinchuan 750021, China
| | - Yan Shen
- School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China (Y.S.)
| | - Jingru Ge
- Optoelectronic College, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Min Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
| | - Jinfeng Zhang
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Zhuwen Xu
- School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot 010021, China (Y.S.)
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Niu H, Zhang J, Wang Z, Huang G, Peng C, Zhang H. Context-dependent responses of food-hoarding to competitors in Apodemus peninsulae: implications for coexistence among asymmetrical species. Integr Zool 2020; 15:115-126. [PMID: 31773891 PMCID: PMC7216933 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Superior species may have distinct advantages over subordinates within asymmetrical interactions among sympatric animals. However, exactly how the subordinate species coexists with superior species is unknown. In the forests west of Beijing City, intense asymmetrical interactions of food competition exist among granivorous rodents (e.g. Apodemus peninsulae, Niviventer confucianus, Sciurotamias davidianus and Tscherskia triton) that have broadly overlapping habitats and diets but have varied body size (range 15-300 g), hoarding habits (scatter vs larder) and/or daily rhythm (diurnal vs nocturnal). The smallest rodent, A. peninsulae, which typically faces high competitive pressure from larger rodents, is an ideal model to explore how subordinate species coexist with superior species. Under semi-natural enclosure conditions, we tested responses of seed-hoarding behavior in A. peninsulae to intraspecific and interspecific competitors in the situations of pre-competition (without competitor), competition (with competitor) and post-competition (competitor removed). The results showed that for A. peninsulae, the intensity of larder-hoarding increased and the intensity of scatter-hoarding declined in the presence of intraspecifics and S. davidianus, whereas A. peninsulae ceased foraging and hoarding in the presence of N. confucianus and T. triton. A. peninsulae reduced intensity of hoarding outside the nest and moved more seeds into the nest for larder-hoarding under competition from intraspecific individuals and S. davidianus. In most cases, the experimental animals could recover to their original state of pre-competition when competitors were removed. These results suggest that subordinate species contextually regulate their food-hoarding strategies according to different competitors, promoting species coexistence among sympatric animals that have asymmetrical food competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongyu Niu
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhiyong Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Guangchuan Huang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chao Peng
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
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Yi X, Ju M, Yang Y, Zhang M. Scatter‐hoarding and cache pilfering of rodents in response to seed abundance. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Mengyao Ju
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Yueqin Yang
- College of Agriculture Henan University of Science and Technology Luoyang China
| | - Mingming Zhang
- College of Agriculture Henan University of Science and Technology Luoyang China
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Clark LL, Shaw RC. The ontogeny of food-caching behaviour in New Zealand robins ( Petroica longipes ). Behav Processes 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Dittel JW, Perea R, Vander Wall SB. Reciprocal pilfering in a seed-caching rodent community: implications for species coexistence. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2375-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Suzuki TN, Kutsukake N. Foraging intention affects whether willow tits call to attract members of mixed-species flocks. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170222. [PMID: 28680675 PMCID: PMC5493917 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how individual behaviour influences the spatial and temporal distribution of other species is necessary to resolve the complex structure of species assemblages. Mixed-species bird flocks provide an ideal opportunity to investigate this issue, because members of the flocks are involved in a variety of behavioural interactions between species. Willow tits (Poecile montanus) often produce loud calls when visiting a new foraging patch to recruit other members of mixed-species flocks. The costs and benefits of flocking would differ with individual foraging behaviours (i.e. immediate consumption or caching); thus, willow tits may adjust the production of loud calls according to their foraging intention. In this study, we investigated the link between foraging decisions and calling behaviour in willow tits and tested its influence on the temporal cohesion with members of mixed-species flocks. Observations at experimental foraging patches showed that willow tits produced more calls when they consumed food items compared with when they cached them. Playback experiments revealed that these calls attracted flock members and helped to maintain their presence at foraging patches. Thus, willow tits adjusted calling behaviour according to their foraging intention, thereby coordinating the associations with members of mixed-species flocks. Our findings demonstrate the influence of individual decision-making on temporal cohesion with other species and highlight the importance of interspecific communication in mixed-species flocking dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshitaka N. Suzuki
- Center for Ecological Research, Kyoto University, 2-509-3 Hirano, Otsu, Shiga 520-2113, Japan
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Kutsukake
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Hayama, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan
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Zhang H, Chu W, Zhang Z. Cultivated walnut trees showed earlier but not final advantage over its wild relatives in competing for seed dispersers. Integr Zool 2017; 12:12-25. [PMID: 27734599 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about seeding regeneration of cultivated trees compared to wild relatives in areas where seed dispersers are shared. Here, we investigated the differences in seed fates of cultivated walnut (Juglans regia) and wild Manchurian walnut (Juglans mandshurica) trees under rodent predation and dispersal. J. regia seeds have higher nutritional value (large size, mass and kernel mass) and lower mechanical defensiveness (thin endocarp) than J. mandshurica seeds. We tracked seeds of J. regia and J. mandshurica under both enclosure and field conditions to assess differences in competing for seed dispersers of the two co-occurring tree species of the same genus. We found that rodents preferred to harvest, eat and scatter-hoard seeds of J. regia as compared to those of J. mandshurica. Seeds of J. regia were removed and scatter-hoarded faster than those of J. mandshurica. Caches of J. regia were more likely to be rediscovered by rodents than those of J. mandshurica. These results suggest that J. regia showed earlier dispersal fitness but not the ultimate dispersal fitness over J. mandshurica in seeding regeneration under rodent mediation, implying that J. regia has little effect on seeding regeneration of J. mandshurica in the field. The effects of seed traits on seed dispersal fitness may vary at different dispersal stages under animal mediation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China.,State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Chu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Steele MA, Rompré G, Stratford JA, Zhang H, Suchocki M, Marino S. Scatterhoarding rodents favor higher predation risks for cache sites: The potential for predators to influence the seed dispersal process. Integr Zool 2016; 10:257-66. [PMID: 25827710 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Scatterhoarding rodents often place caches in the open where pilferage rates are reduced, suggesting that they tradeoff higher risks of predation for more secure cache sites. We tested this hypothesis in two study systems by measuring predation risks inferred from measures of giving-up densities (GUDs) at known cache sites and other sites for comparison. Rodent GUDs were measured with small trays containing 3 L of fine sand mixed with sunflower seeds. In the first experiment, we relied on a 2-year seed dispersal study in a natural forest to identify caches of eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and then measured GUDs at: (i) these caches; (ii) comparable points along logs and rocks where rodent activity was assumed highest; and (iii) a set of random points. We found that GUDs and, presumably, predation risks, were higher at both cache and random points than those with cover. At the second site, we measured GUDs of eastern gray squirrels in an open park system and found that GUDs were consistently lowest at the base of the tree compared to more open sites, where previous studies show caching by squirrels to be highest and pilferage rates by naïve competitors to be lowest. These results confirm that predation risks can influence scatterhoarding decisions but that they are also highly context dependent, and that the landscape of fear, now so well documented in the literature, could potentially shape the temporal and spatial patterns of seedling establishment and forest regeneration in systems where scatterhoarding is common.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ghislain Rompré
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA.,The Scotts Company, Marysville, OH, USA
| | | | - Hongmao Zhang
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA.,School of Life Science, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | | | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA, USA
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Lichti NI, Steele MA, Swihart RK. Seed fate and decision‐making processes in scatter‐hoarding rodents. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2015; 92:474-504. [PMID: 26587693 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 10/12/2015] [Accepted: 10/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nathanael I. Lichti
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 U.S.A
| | | | - Robert K. Swihart
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources Purdue University West Lafayette IN 47907 U.S.A
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11
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Wilke A, Minich S, Panis M, Langen TA, Skufca JD, Todd PM. A Game of Hide and Seek: Expectations of Clumpy Resources Influence Hiding and Searching Patterns. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0130976. [PMID: 26154661 PMCID: PMC4495993 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0130976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Resources are often distributed in clumps or patches in space, unless an agent is trying to protect them from discovery and theft using a dispersed distribution. We uncover human expectations of such spatial resource patterns in collaborative and competitive settings via a sequential multi-person game in which participants hid resources for the next participant to seek. When collaborating, resources were mostly hidden in clumpy distributions, but when competing, resources were hidden in more dispersed (random or hyperdispersed) patterns to increase the searching difficulty for the other player. More dispersed resource distributions came at the cost of higher overall hiding (as well as searching) times, decreased payoffs, and an increased difficulty when the hider had to recall earlier hiding locations at the end of the experiment. Participants’ search strategies were also affected by their underlying expectations, using a win-stay lose-shift strategy appropriate for clumpy resources when searching for collaboratively-hidden items, but moving equally far after finding or not finding an item in competitive settings, as appropriate for dispersed resources. Thus participants showed expectations for clumpy versus dispersed spatial resources that matched the distributions commonly found in collaborative versus competitive foraging settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Wilke
- Department of Psychology, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Steven Minich
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, United States of America
| | - Megane Panis
- Department of Psychology, University of Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Tom A. Langen
- Department of Psychology, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, United States of America
- Department of Biology, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, United States of America
| | - Joseph D. Skufca
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, United States of America
| | - Peter M. Todd
- Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, United States of America
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Gutiérrez-Granados G. Effect of logging on rodent scatter-hoarding dynamics in tropical forests: implications for plant recruitment. Integr Zool 2015; 6:74-80. [PMID: 21645273 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-4877.2011.00234.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The present study tested the hypothesis that logging affects the scatter-hoarding behavior of rodents, which, in turn, negatively affects the quantity and quality of Pouteria campechiana (Sapotaceae) seed dispersal. A series of seed stations was established in logged and unlogged forests of ejido Señor, Yucatan Peninsula, and comparisons were made between logged and unlogged forests in terms of: (i) seed removal; (ii) number of seeds hoarded; (iii) hoarding distance; and (iv) the number of recruits and the survival of hoarded seeds. The number of both hoarded and removed seeds was significantly higher in unlogged sites. Furthermore, the mean distance of hoarding was greater in unlogged compared with logged sites. Although recruitment and survival were present in both logged and unlogged sites, there were more surviving seedlings in unlogged sites. The data indicate that both the quantity and quality of seed dispersal are negatively affected by logging because of a change in the rodent scatter-hoarding dynamics. These changes suggest that plant-animal interactions are crucial to the understanding of the ecology and conservation of managed tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Gutiérrez-Granados
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Biology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico DF, Mexico
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Wang B, Chen J, Corlett RT. Factors influencing repeated seed movements by scatter-hoarding rodents in an alpine forest. Sci Rep 2014; 4:4786. [PMID: 24759374 PMCID: PMC3998018 DOI: 10.1038/srep04786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Scatter-hoarding rodents are effective dispersal agents for many plant species. Several studies have shown that rodents repeatedly re-cache seeds. The re-caching process often has a significant impact on final seedling establishment, but the factors determining its occurrence are poorly understood. In this study, we followed the fate of 3564 artificial seeds that varied in size, nutrient content and tannin content. Seeds cached closer to their original releasing plots were more likely to be re-cached, and to a further distance. Larger seeds were more likely to be re-cached than smaller ones, while nutrient and tannin content had little effect. Most plant species that depend on scatter-hoarding rodents for seed dispersal bear relatively large seeds, and large seeds are usually more likely to be dispersed and to establish seedlings, suggesting that the caching preferences of scatter-hoarding rodents may have played an important role in the evolution of large seeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Wang
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Jin Chen
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
| | - Richard T Corlett
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Steele MA, Contreras TA, Hadj-Chikh LZ, Agosta SJ, Smallwood PD, Tomlinson CN. Do scatter hoarders trade off increased predation risks for lower rates of cache pilferage? Behav Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/art107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Ribeiro JF, Vieira EM. Interactions between a seed-eating neotropical rodent, the Azara's agouti (Dasyprocta azarae), and the Brazilian ‘pine’Araucaria angustifolia. AUSTRAL ECOL 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana F. Ribeiro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos; Departamento de Ecologia; Universidade de Brasília; Brazil
| | - Emerson M. Vieira
- Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos - Zoologia; CP 04457. Universidade doVale do Rio dos Sinos; São Leopoldo RS 70919-970 Brazil
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16
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Sun S, Zhang H. Cache sites preferred by small rodents facilitate cache survival in a subtropical primary forest, central China. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/wr13038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Context
Scatter-hoarding rodents tend to hoard plant seeds in preferred places that facilitate seed survival, resulting in high food rewards for hoarders and a high probability of seedling establishment for plants.
Aims
To test the hypothesis that caches placed in rodent-preferred microhabitats, nearest-neighbour distances between caches (cache density) or cache depths have an increased chance of survival.
Methods
Rodent-made caches and observer-established caches of Himalayan hazelnut (Corylus ferox) seeds were tracked in a subtropical primary forest in central China. The survival of caches within rodent-preferred microhabitats, nearest-neighbour distances and cache depths were identified.
Key results
Rodents preferred to hoard Himalayan hazelnut seeds in microhabitats under and at the edge of shrubs, with the nearest-neighbour distance of <4.0 m, and at 2.1–4.0-cm depth. The survival times of both rodent-made caches and observer-established caches were longer within rodent-preferred microhabitats than in other habitats and increased with an increasing nearest-neighbour distance and cache depth, up to what appeared to be an optimal nearest-neighbour distance and depth.
Conclusions
Conditions of rodent-preferred cache microhabitats, nearest-neighbour distances and cache depths can facilitate cache survival.
Implications
Rodents often move plant seeds away from parent trees and bury them in shallow soil, which benefits seed dispersal and establishment of plants. The present study demonstrates that rodent-preferred cache conditions may translate into higher seed survival and a higher tendency of seeds to germinate and establish. Thus, careful management and conservation of rodent-preferred hoarding habitats may benefit seed dispersal and survival.
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Comparison of food hoarding of two sympatric rodent species under interspecific competition. Behav Processes 2012; 92:60-4. [PMID: 23124017 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2012.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2012] [Revised: 10/19/2012] [Accepted: 10/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Competition can greatly affect the food hoarding strategies of rodents and the fate of seeds hoarded. In order to understand the influence of interspecific competition on food caching behavior of sympatric rodents, we investigated food hoarding patterns of two sympatric rodent species, buff-breasted rat (Rattus flavipectus) and Chinese white-bellied rat (Niviventor confucianus), and compared their responses and adjustment in hoarding behavior under interspecific competition. The results showed that: (1) the buff-breasted rat larder hoarded seeds only, while Chinese white-bellied rat hoarded seeds in both larder and scatter forms; (2) two species of rodents both larder hoarded more seeds when competitors were present; and (3) the Chinese white-bellied rats adjusted their seed hoarding from scatter to larder when competitors were introduced, which reduced the seed availability. Therefore, we concluded that rodents would adjust their food hoarding strategy when interspecific competitors were present, and this may produce a different effect on the fate of seeds and the recruitment of plants. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: insert SI title.
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Hirsch BT, Kays R, Pereira VE, Jansen PA. Directed seed dispersal towards areas with low conspecific tree density by a scatter-hoarding rodent. Ecol Lett 2012; 15:1423-9. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2012] [Revised: 07/18/2012] [Accepted: 08/09/2012] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ben T. Hirsch
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI); Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa Panama
- School of Environment and Natural Resources; Ohio State University; 2021 Coffey Rd Columbus OH 43210 USA
| | - Roland Kays
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI); Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa Panama
- Nature Research Center; North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; 11 W. Jones Street Raleigh NC 27601 USA
- Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Program; North Carolina State University; Box 7646, Turner House Raleigh NC 27695 USA
| | - Verónica E. Pereira
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI); Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa Panama
| | - Patrick A. Jansen
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI); Apartado 0843-03092 Balboa Panama
- Department of Environmental Sciences; Wageningen University; PO Box 47 6700 AA Wageningen the Netherlands
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies; University of Groningen; PO Box 11103 9700 CC Groningen the Netherlands
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19
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Abstract
At a time when plant species are experiencing increasing challenges from climate change, land-use change, harvesting and invasive species, dispersal has become a very important aspect of plant conservation. Seed dispersal by animals is particularly important because some animals disperse seeds to suitable sites in a directed fashion. Our review has two aims: (i) to highlight the various ways plant dispersal by animals can be affected by current anthropogenic change and (ii) to show the important role of plant and (particularly) animal physiology in shaping seed-dispersal interactions. We argue that large-bodied seed dispersers may be particularly important for plant conservation because seed dispersal of large-seeded plants is often more specialized and because large-bodied animals are targeted by human exploitation and have smaller population sizes. We further argue that more specialized seed-dispersal systems on island ecosystems might be particularly at risk from climate change both owing to small population sizes involved but also owing to the likely thermal specialization, particularly on tropical islands. More generally, the inherent vulnerability of seed-dispersal mutualisms to disruption driven by environmental change (as well as their ubiquity) demands that we continue to improve our understanding of their conservation physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Graeme D Ruxton
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK.
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20
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Alpern S, Fokkink R, Lidbetter T, Clayton NS. A search game model of the scatter hoarder's problem. J R Soc Interface 2012; 9:869-79. [PMID: 22012971 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2011.0581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Scatter hoarders are animals (e.g. squirrels) who cache food (nuts) over a number of sites for later collection. A certain minimum amount of food must be recovered, possibly after pilfering by another animal, in order to survive the winter. An optimal caching strategy is one that maximizes the survival probability, given worst case behaviour of the pilferer. We modify certain 'accumulation games' studied by Kikuta & Ruckle (2000 J. Optim. Theory Appl.) and Kikuta & Ruckle (2001 Naval Res. Logist.), which modelled the problem of optimal diversification of resources against catastrophic loss, to include the depth at which the food is hidden at each caching site. Optimal caching strategies can then be determined as equilibria in a new 'caching game'. We show how the distribution of food over sites and the site-depths of the optimal caching varies with the animal's survival requirements and the amount of pilfering. We show that in some cases, 'decoy nuts' are required to be placed above other nuts that are buried further down at the same site. Methods from the field of search games are used. Some empirically observed behaviour can be shown to be optimal in our model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Alpern
- Department of Mathematics, London School of Economics, London, UK.
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21
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Feenders G, Smulders TV. Magpies can use local cues to retrieve their food caches. Anim Cogn 2010; 14:235-43. [PMID: 21132448 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-010-0357-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2010] [Revised: 11/15/2010] [Accepted: 11/16/2010] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Much importance has been placed on the use of spatial cues by food-hoarding birds in the retrieval of their caches. In this study, we investigate whether food-hoarding birds can be trained to use local cues ("beacons") in their cache retrieval. We test magpies (Pica pica) in an active hoarding-retrieval paradigm, where local cues are always reliable, while spatial cues are not. Our results show that the birds use the local cues to retrieve their caches, even when occasionally contradicting spatial information is available. The design of our study does not allow us to test rigorously whether the birds prefer using local over spatial cues, nor to investigate the process through which they learn to use local cues. We furthermore provide evidence that magpies develop landmark preferences, which improve their retrieval accuracy. Our findings support the hypothesis that birds are flexible in their use of memory information, using a combination of the most reliable or salient information to retrieve their caches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gesa Feenders
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle University, Henry Wellcome Building for Neuroecology, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK.
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22
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Grodzinski U, Clayton NS. Problems faced by food-caching corvids and the evolution of cognitive solutions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:977-87. [PMID: 20156820 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The scatter hoarding of food, or caching, is a widespread and well-studied behaviour. Recent experiments with caching corvids have provided evidence for episodic-like memory, future planning and possibly mental attribution, all cognitive abilities that were thought to be unique to humans. In addition to the complexity of making flexible, informed decisions about caching and recovering, this behaviour is underpinned by a motivationally controlled compulsion to cache. In this review, we shall first discuss the compulsive side of caching both during ontogeny and in the caching behaviour of adult corvids. We then consider some of the problems that these birds face and review the evidence for the cognitive abilities they use to solve them. Thus, the emergence of episodic-like memory is viewed as a solution for coping with food perishability, while the various cache-protection and pilfering strategies may be sophisticated tools to deprive competitors of information, either by reducing the quality of information they can gather, or invalidating the information they already have. Finally, we shall examine whether such future-oriented behaviour involves future planning and ask why this and other cognitive abilities might have evolved in corvids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Grodzinski
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK.
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23
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Smulders TV, Gould KL, Leaver LA. Using ecology to guide the study of cognitive and neural mechanisms of different aspects of spatial memory in food-hoarding animals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2010; 365:883-900. [PMID: 20156814 PMCID: PMC2830245 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2009.0211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the survival value of behaviour does not tell us how the mechanisms that control this behaviour work. Nevertheless, understanding survival value can guide the study of these mechanisms. In this paper, we apply this principle to understanding the cognitive mechanisms that support cache retrieval in scatter-hoarding animals. We believe it is too simplistic to predict that all scatter-hoarding animals will outperform non-hoarding animals on all tests of spatial memory. Instead, we argue that we should look at the detailed ecology and natural history of each species. This understanding of natural history then allows us to make predictions about which aspects of spatial memory should be better in which species. We use the natural hoarding behaviour of the three best-studied groups of scatter-hoarding animals to make predictions about three aspects of their spatial memory: duration, capacity and spatial resolution, and we test these predictions against the existing literature. Having laid out how ecology and natural history can be used to predict detailed cognitive abilities, we then suggest using this approach to guide the study of the neural basis of these abilities. We believe that this complementary approach will reveal aspects of memory processing that would otherwise be difficult to discover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom V Smulders
- Centre for Behaviour and Evolution and Institute of Neuroscience, University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne NE2 4HH, UK.
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24
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Puerta-Piñero C, MarÃa Gómez J, Schupp EW. Spatial patterns of acorn dispersal by rodents: do acorn crop size and ungulate presence matter? OIKOS 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0706.2009.17793.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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25
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Gálvez D, Kranstauber B, Kays RW, Jansen PA. Scatter hoarding by the Central American agouti: a test of optimal cache spacing theory. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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26
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Hopewell LJ, Leaver LA, Lea SEG. Effects of competition and food availability on travel time in scatter-hoarding gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Behav Ecol 2008. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arn095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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