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Fiedler PMA, De Lapparent A, Razafitsalama J, Sanamo J, Steffens KJE, Ganzhorn JU. Secondary seed removal in a degraded forest habitat in Madagascar. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16823. [PMID: 34413376 PMCID: PMC8377146 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96306-7] [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: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest restoration is a prime goal within the 2021-2030 UN "Decade of Ecosystem Resoration". As part of these activities, natural regeneration has to be promoted for biological as well as for economic reasons. For this, the processes of seed dispersal, seed predation and germination have to be understood in the original as well as in degraded vegetation formations. We used seed removal experiments to assess post-dispersal processes that influence recruitment along a gradient of forest degradation in Madagascar analyzing seeds of three animal dispersed tree species. The percentage of seeds consumed or dispersed, declined from forest (28.6%) to degraded forest (17.2%) to savanna (10.8%). Only three out of 1080 seeds were cached and remained intact during the 14-day experiment. All three seeds were cached in the forest habitat and none in the degraded forest and savanna. The low percentage of seeds removed may be due to the lack of endemic rodents caching seeds, as only introduced rats were recorded in the area. The species-poor fauna of potential secondary seed dispersers of the region and especially in the degraded areas might represent an obstacle for diverse regeneration in degraded regions of Madagascar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula M A Fiedler
- Institute of Zoology, Animal Ecology and Conservation, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alice De Lapparent
- Département de Biologie, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 75005, Paris, France.,Département de Biologie, M2 Agroécologie, Connaissances, Territoires et Sociétés (ACTES), Université de Paris-Saclay, Paris, France
| | | | - Justin Sanamo
- Département Sciences de la Nature et de l'Environnement, Faculté des Sciences, Université d'Antsiranana, 201, Antsiranana, Madagascar
| | - Kim J E Steffens
- Institute of Zoology, Animal Ecology and Conservation, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jörg U Ganzhorn
- Institute of Zoology, Animal Ecology and Conservation, Universität Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
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Seed nutrient content rather than size influences seed dispersal by scatterhoarding rodents in a West African montane forest. JOURNAL OF TROPICAL ECOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467420000127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
AbstractRodents can be important in seed dispersal through their scatterhoarding behaviour, yet, the seed traits that are most influential in seed removal by Afrotropical scatterhoarding rodents remains unclear. Here, we investigated the effect of seed size and nutrient content of four seed species on the scatterhoarding behaviour of rodents in an Afromontane forest, Ngel Nyaki forest, Nigeria. To do this we marked with thread-tags the seeds of Santiria trimera, Beilschmedia mannii, Carapa oreophila and Anthonotha noldeae and observed their fate. We predicted that (1) caching frequency would be higher for larger than smaller seed species; (2) caching frequency would be higher for nutrient-rich than nutrient-poor seeds; (3) larger seeds would be taken across farther distances; and (4) survival of cached seeds would be higher for nutrient-rich seeds. In contrast to studies elsewhere we found no difference in caching probabilities based on seed size, although nutrient-rich (high fat content) seeds had a higher probability of being predated than seeds with lower fat content. Larger and smaller seeds were dispersed over the same distances and nutrient-poor (high fibre content) seeds survived longer in seed caches. Overall, our findings suggest that large, nutrient-rich seed species are less likely to be dispersed by rodents.
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Schupp EW, Zwolak R, Jones LR, Snell RS, Beckman NG, Aslan C, Cavazos BR, Effiom E, Fricke EC, Montaño-Centellas F, Poulsen J, Razafindratsima OH, Sandor ME, Shea K. Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal are diverse and pervasive. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz067. [PMID: 31857875 PMCID: PMC6914678 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
There is growing realization that intraspecific variation in seed dispersal can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. However, we do not have a good understanding of the drivers or causes of intraspecific variation in dispersal, how strong an effect these drivers have, and how widespread they are across dispersal modes. As a first step to developing a better understanding, we present a broad, but not exhaustive, review of what is known about the drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal, and what remains uncertain. We start by decomposing 'drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal' into intrinsic drivers (i.e. variation in traits of individual plants) and extrinsic drivers (i.e. variation in ecological context). For intrinsic traits, we further decompose intraspecific variation into variation among individuals and variation of trait values within individuals. We then review our understanding of the major intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal, with an emphasis on variation among individuals. Crop size is the best-supported and best-understood intrinsic driver of variation across dispersal modes; overall, more seeds are dispersed as more seeds are produced, even in cases where per seed dispersal rates decline. Fruit/seed size is the second most widely studied intrinsic driver, and is also relevant to a broad range of seed dispersal modes. Remaining intrinsic drivers are poorly understood, and range from effects that are probably widespread, such as plant height, to drivers that are most likely sporadic, such as fruit or seed colour polymorphism. Primary extrinsic drivers of variation in seed dispersal include local environmental conditions and habitat structure. Finally, we present a selection of outstanding questions as a starting point to advance our understanding of individual variation in seed dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Rafal Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Landon R Jones
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Rebecca S Snell
- Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Noelle G Beckman
- Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Clare Aslan
- Landscape Conservation Initiative, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Brittany R Cavazos
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Edu Effiom
- REDD & Biodiversity Unit, Cross River State Forestry Commission, Calabar, Nigeria
| | - Evan C Fricke
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | | | - John Poulsen
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Onja H Razafindratsima
- Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
| | - Manette E Sandor
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
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Yadok BG, Pech R, Chapman H. Perception of predation risk by African giant pouched rats (Cricetomys sp. nov) is higher in forest-edge microhabitats. Behav Processes 2019; 168:103953. [PMID: 31493493 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 09/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
How rodents perceive predation risk may alter their seed foraging behaviour and therefore potentially influence the recruitment of tree species. In this study we used two methods to investigate the effect of predation risk on habitat use by the African giant pouched rat (Cricetomys sp. nov) in Ngel Nyaki forest reserve, Nigeria. The first method was 'giving up density' (GUD), an index of perceived risk of predation at an artificial food patch, and the second was the 'spool-and-line' approach, whereby unravelling spools attached to rodent bodies are used to trace their tracks. For our GUD experiment, we chose four major sites in the forest; two representative of core habitat and two at the forest edge. Additionally, three characteristic microsites were used in the GUD experiment: dense understory, open understory and near-burrows. We hypothesised that GUDs would be lower on every succeeding observation day as rats learn to use the food patches, higher GUDs would be observed in the forest edges and open microsites, and rats would show preference for the microhabitats with least exposure to potential predators. In support of our first hypothesis, we found that GUDs were highest on the first experimental nights of every session. We also found that GUDs in the forest edges were higher than GUDs in the forest core. Lower GUDs were observed close to the rat burrows and in dense understory microsites, even though these differences were not statistically significant. Tracking of rat movements using the spool-and-line method overall revealed an even use across microhabitats, with a weak preference for those with logs, dense understory or exposed ground. Overall, our results suggest that vegetation density on a microhabitat scale has little or no effect on the perception of predation risk by African giant pouched rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biplang G Yadok
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, PB 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand; Nigerian Montane Forest Project, Yelwa village, Taraba State, Nigeria.
| | - Roger Pech
- Landcare Research, Lincoln, P. O. Box 69040, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Hazel Chapman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, PB 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand; Nigerian Montane Forest Project, Yelwa village, Taraba State, Nigeria
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Gómez JM, Schupp EW, Jordano P. Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:874-902. [PMID: 30467946 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José María Gómez
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Ctra Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, E-04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, S. J. and Jesse E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, 5230 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5230,, U.S.A
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Departamento de Ecología Integrativa, Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Americo Vespucio S/N, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
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