Effects of fragmentation on the seed predation and dispersal by rodents differ among species with different seed size.

ABSTRACT: Fragmentation influences the population dynamics and community composition of vertebrate animals. Fragmentation effects on rodent species in forests may, in turn, affect seed predation and dispersal of many plant species. Previous studies have usually addressed this question by monitoring a single species, and their results are contradictory. Very few studies have discussed the fragmentation effect on rodent-seed interaction among tree species with different seed sizes, which can significantly influence rodent foraging preference and seed fate. Given that fruiting periods for many coexisting plant species overlap, the changing foraging preference of rodents may substantially alter plant communities. In this study, we monitored the dispersal and predation by rodents of 9600 seeds, belonging

SUBMITTER: Chen Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5725673 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature