关键词: 种子搬运, 辽东栎, 鼠类, 种子质量, 种子可视度, 生境

Abstract: In this study，we used five treatments to test how seed quality,environmental conditions and seed visibility affect seed removal of Liaodong oak(Quercus liaotungensis) by rodents in the Dongling mountainous area（40º00'N，115º30'E）of Beijing,China. Each treatment comprised 200 seeds. Seeds were checked daily for up to 16 days. The rodents removed most seeds within a few days. Sound seeds disappeared faster than insect-damaged seeds. Seeds placed in closedcanopy forest disappeared significantly more rapidly than similar seeds placed in shrub habitats. Rodents removed seeds placed under or between shrubs at similar rates. Seeds placed under plant litter disappeared much more slowly than seeds placed on the ground surface. The half-lives at the release sites ranged from 0. 6 to 8. 6 day. These high rates of removal for experimental seeds indicate that rodents have the capacity to harvest most of the naturally-produced Liaodong oak acorns during the two-month period between seed fall and winter. These rodents serve as important seed foragers and dispersal agents for Liaodong oak.

Key words: Habitat, Liaodong oak, Rodents, Seed removal, Seed quality, Seed visibility