Influence of Forest Composition on Tree Seed Predation and Rodent Responses:a Comparison of Monodominant and Mixed Temperate Forests in Japan

摘要

Plants often suffer heavy mortality in their seed and seedling stages. While some vertebrates play a significant role in seed dispersal, others are predators of seeds and seedlings. In many large-seeded, nut-bearing trees, rodents are responsible bothfor effective seed dispersal by their vigorous activity of seed hoarding (Vander Wall, 2001), and for early-stage mortality through seed and seedling predation (Crawley, 2000; Kitajima and Fenner, 2000; Hulme and Benkman, 2002). Rodents are pivotal in the regeneration and demography of large-seeded trees.