关键词: 种子扩散, 种子取食, 种子贮藏, 贮藏策略, 鼠类

Abstract: Seed hoarders,such as small rodents,may adopt different eating and hoarding strategies for seeds of different plant species,and resulting in different plant seed dispersal patterns. At here,we tracked the seeds of three sympatric tree species:Quercus variabilis,Prunus armeniaca,Prunus persica,dispersed by small rodents in the Yugong State-owned Forestry Station,Jiyuan,Henan Province,Mt. Taihangshan area from September 10th to November 8th in 2011. We aimed to determine differences in harvest rates,seed fates,dispersal distances,cache sites and cache size among these seeds and understand the influence of rodents on seed dispersal of these sympatric tree species. The results showed that:1)Apodemus peninsulae and Sciurotamias davidianus were mainly responsible for the consumption and hoarding of the tested seeds; 2)Seed harvest rates varied significantly among different seed species,Q. variabilis (median survival times (MST): 8. 6 d)> P. armeniaca (MST:20. 9 d) > P. persica (MST:37. 5 d);3)A total of 55.0 % of Q. variabilis acorns were consumed,62.0 % of P. armeniaca seeds were scatter-hoarded (buried in soil),whereas almost all of P. persica seeds (99.0 % )remained in situ; 4)Majorities seeds of P. armeniaca (88.6% )and Q. variabilis (78. 9% )were hoarded either under shrubs,near the tree stems or near rock edges,whereas a few seeds of P. armeniaca (4. 3% )and Q. variabilis (9. 1% )were hoarded in the microhabitat of bare ground;5)P. armeniaca seeds were dispersed farther from the seed sources (3.4 ± 2.1 m,mean ± SE,n =63)than were Q. variabilis acorns (2.5 ± 2. 4 m,n = 57). These results suggest that small rodents are likely to adopt different hoarding strategies for sympatric plant seeds,and subsequently result in different plant seed dispersal patterns.

Key words: Hoarding strategy, Rodent, Seed consumption, Seed dispersal, Seed hoarding