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Guo S, Yi X, Sui M. Substrate scent-induced disproportionate seed dispersal by rodents. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e70075. [PMID: 39041019 PMCID: PMC11260879 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.70075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Conspecific adults impose strong negative density-dependent effects on seed survival nearby parent trees, however, the underlying mechanisms are diversified and remain unclear. In this study, we presented consistent evidence that parent-scented forest floor masked seed odor, reduced cache recovery rate by scatter-hoarding animals, and then increased seed dispersal far away from mother trees. Our results showed that seed odors of Korean pine Pinus koraiensis match well with the volatile profile of their forest floor. Moreover, scatter-hoarding animals selectively transported P. koraiensis seeds toward the areas where seed odor was more contrasting against the background substrate, possibly due to the fact that accumulation of conspecific volatile compounds in caches hindered seed detection by scatter-hoarding animals. Our study provides insight into the role of leaf litter in directing seed dispersal process, representing a novel mechanism by which P. koraiensis increases selection for seed dispersal far away from the parent tree.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhua Guo
- College of Biology and OceanographyWeifang UniversityWeifangChina
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- School of Life SciencesQufu Normal UniversityQufuChina
| | - Meixia Sui
- College of Biology and OceanographyWeifang UniversityWeifangChina
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Okawa R, Saitoh T, Noda T. Interactive effects of two rodent species on the seed dispersal of Japanese walnut. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18098. [PMID: 37872180 PMCID: PMC10593932 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44513-9] [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] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The effects of seed dispersers on plant fitness (seed dispersal effectiveness, SDE) have been evaluated based on the number (quantity) and recruitment probability (quality) of dispersed seeds. Although seeds of most zoochorous species are dispersed by two or more animal species, which may interact with each other, SDE has often been studied assuming a one-plant and one-animal species system. We compared the SDE of Japanese walnut (Juglans ailanthifolia) between squirrel-only and squirrel-mouse sites in natural forests of Hokkaido, Japan, and found that the SDE from the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), considered a primary seed disperser, was altered by an alternative seed disperser species, the Japanese wood mouse (Apodemus speciosus). Seed removal rates at the squirrel-mouse site were significantly higher than those at the squirrel-only site, and both dispersed seeds and seedlings were less aggregated, with a strongly repulsive relationship with adult conspecific trees at the squirrel-mouse site. Seedlings established themselves at a location with fewer medium-sized trees (< 10 cm DBH) at the squirrel-mouse site. These results suggest that the interactive effect of the rodent species affects the SDE of Japanese walnut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryunosuke Okawa
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, N10 W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan.
| | - Takashi Saitoh
- Field Science Center, Hokkaido University, N11W10, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0811, Japan
| | - Takashi Noda
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, N10 W5, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0810, Japan
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Benedek AM, Sîrbu I, Lazăr A. Responses of small mammals to habitat characteristics in Southern Carpathian forests. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12031. [PMID: 34103594 PMCID: PMC8187625 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91488-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Compared to Northern Carpathians, the small mammal fauna of Southern Carpathian forests is poorly known, with no data on habitat use; our study seeks to fill this gap. To this end, we conducted a survey in the Southern Carpathians for five years, assessing habitat use by small mammals in forests along an elevational gradient. Trapping was done using live traps set in transects at elevations between 820 and 2040 m. For each transect we evaluated variables related to vegetation structure, habitat complexity, and geographical location. We considered abundance, species composition and species richness as response variables. The rodents Apodemus flavicollis and Myodes glareolus and the shrew Sorex araneus were common and dominant. Their abundance were positively correlated with tree cover, the best explanatory variable. Responses to other variables were mixed. The strong divergence in the relative habitat use by the three most abundant species may act as a mechanism that enables their coexistence as dominant species, exploiting the same wide range of habitat resources. Overall, habitat use in our study area was similar to that reported from Northern Carpathians, but we found also important differences probably caused by the differences in latitude and forest management practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Maria Benedek
- Faculty of Sciences, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 5-7 Raţiu Street, 550012, Sibiu, Romania.
| | - Ioan Sîrbu
- Faculty of Sciences, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, 5-7 Raţiu Street, 550012, Sibiu, Romania
| | - Anamaria Lazăr
- Department of Engineering and Management in Food and Tourism, Faculty of Food and Tourism, Transilvania University of Brașov, 148 Castelului Street, 500036, Braşov, Romania
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Wang Z, Wang B, Yan C, Yuan S, Cao L. Neighborhood effects on the tannin-related foraging decisions of two rodent species under semi-natural conditions. Integr Zool 2020; 15:569-577. [PMID: 32645258 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Neighborhood effects on seed predation and dispersal processes are usually seed-characteristic-dependent; however, how seeds with certain characteristics affect the foraging behavior of rodents in relation to other seeds nearby is unclear. Because large differences in seed characteristics between neighboring seeds may lead to significant differences in rodent foraging preferences, we hypothesized that neighborhood effects were more likely to be detected when paired seeds differed in seed characteristics. We investigated the foraging decisions of two rodent species, the red spiny rat Maxomys surifer and the Chinese white-bellied rat Niviventer confucianus, in semi-natural enclosures by presenting them with artificial seeds containing different levels of tannin (0, 3%, and 6% tannin). Both rodents showed similar preferences and preferentially consumed high-tannin seeds (6% tannin) and scatter hoarded low-tannin seeds (0 tannin). The scatter hoarding of low-tannin (0 tannin) and high-tannin (6% tannin) seeds was significantly higher when these seeds were neighboring higher-tannin seeds than when they neighbored lower-tannin seeds, whereas the scatter hoarding of intermediate-tannin seeds (3% tannin) varied little when they had different neighbors. High-tannin-seed (6% tannin) scatter hoarding was lowest when they neighbored low-tannin seeds (0 tannin), while low-tannin-seed (0 tannin) scatter hoarding was highest when they neighbored high-tannin seeds (6% tannin). Therefore, the seeds that the rodents scatter hoarded were next to (neighbored) seeds that they preferred to eat immediately, and vice versa. Our findings suggest that seed neighborhood effects affect rodent foraging behavior and the relationship between plants and rodents, and may have a profound effect on the regeneration and spatial structure of plant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenyu Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Wetland and Watershed Research (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Mengla, Yunnan, China
| | - Chuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, CAS, Beijing, China
| | - Shengdong Yuan
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Mengla, Yunnan, China
| | - Lin Cao
- Institute of Ecology and Geobotany, School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Mengla, Yunnan, China.,State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, CAS, Beijing, China
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Yi X, Yang Y, Zhang M. Cache placement near nests by a multiple-prey loader, the Siberian chipmunk. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.06.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Differential seed mass selection on hoarding decisions among three sympatric rodents. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2576-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Wang Z, Wang B, Yi X, Yan C, Cao L, Zhang Z. Scatter-hoarding rodents are better pilferers than larder-hoarders. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Cao L, Wang B, Yan C, Wang Z, Zhang H, Geng Y, Chen J, Zhang Z. Risk of cache pilferage determines hoarding behavior of rodents and seed fate. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lin Cao
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan, China
| | - Chuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenyu Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Jiangxi Normal University, Donghu District, Nanchang, China
| | - Hongmao Zhang
- Animal Behaviour Research Group, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Hongshan District, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuanzhao Geng
- Key Laboratory of Bio-resources and Eco-environment, Ministry of Education, College of Life Science, Sichuan University, Wuhou District, Chengdu, China
- Key Laboratory of Weed and Rodent Biology and Management, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, China
| | - Jin Chen
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, Yunnan, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
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