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1.
Superior species may have distinct advantages over subordinates within asymmetrical interactions among sympatric animals. However, exactly how the subordinate species coexists with superior species is unknown. In the forests west of Beijing City, intense asymmetrical interactions of food competition exist among granivorous rodents (e.g. Apodemus peninsulae, Niviventer confucianus, Sciurotamias davidianus and Tscherskia triton) that have broadly overlapping habitats and diets but have varied body size (range 15–300 g), hoarding habits (scatter vs larder) and/or daily rhythm (diurnal vs nocturnal). The smallest rodent, A. peninsulae, which typically faces high competitive pressure from larger rodents, is an ideal model to explore how subordinate species coexist with superior species. Under semi‐natural enclosure conditions, we tested responses of seed‐hoarding behavior in A. peninsulae to intraspecific and interspecific competitors in the situations of pre‐competition (without competitor), competition (with competitor) and post‐competition (competitor removed). The results showed that for A. peninsulae, the intensity of larder‐hoarding increased and the intensity of scatter‐hoarding declined in the presence of intraspecifics and S. davidianus, whereas A. peninsulae ceased foraging and hoarding in the presence of N. confucianus and T. triton. A. peninsulae reduced intensity of hoarding outside the nest and moved more seeds into the nest for larder‐hoarding under competition from intraspecific individuals and S. davidianus. In most cases, the experimental animals could recover to their original state of pre‐competition when competitors were removed. These results suggest that subordinate species contextually regulate their food‐hoarding strategies according to different competitors, promoting species coexistence among sympatric animals that have asymmetrical food competition.  相似文献   

2.
Studies from both tropical and temperate systems show that scatter‐hoarding rodents selectively disperse larger seeds farther from their source than smaller seeds, potentially increasing seedling establishment in larger‐seeded plants. Size‐biased dispersal is evident in many oaks (Quercus) and is true both across and within species. Here, we predict that intraspecifc variation in seed size also influences acorn dispersal by the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata Linnaeus), but in an opposite manner. Blue Jays are gape‐limited and selectively disperse smaller acorn species (e.g. pin oaks [Quercus palustris Münchh]), but often carry several acorns in their crop during a single dispersal event. We predict that jays foraging on smaller acorns will load more seeds per trip and disperse seeds to greater distances than when single acorns are carried in the bill. To test this, we presented free‐ranging Blue Jays with pin oak acorns of different sizes over a 2‐year period. In each of 16 experimental trials, we monitored the birds at a feeding station with remote cameras and determined the number of acorns removed and the distance acorns were dispersed when cached. Jays were significantly more likely to engage in multiple seed loading with smaller seeds in both years of the study. During the second year, these smaller acorns were dispersed farther than larger acorns, and during the first year, larger acorns were dispersed farther, revealing an inconsistent response to seed size during our study. We suggest that in some circumstances, multiple seed loading by Blue Jays may favor dispersal in some plant species.  相似文献   

3.
Local extinction or population decline of large frugivorous vertebrates as primary seed dispersers, caused by human disturbance and habitat change, might lead to dispersal limitation of many large‐seeded fruit trees. However, it is not known whether or not scatter‐hoarding rodents as secondary seed dispersers can help maintain natural regeneration (e.g. seed dispersal) of these frugivore‐dispersed trees in the face of the functional reduction or loss of primary seed dispersers. In the present study, we investigated how scatter‐hoarding rodents affect the fate of tagged seeds of a large‐seeded fruit tree (Scleropyrum wallichianum Arnott, 1838, Santalaceae) from seed fall to seedling establishment in a heavily defaunated tropical forest in the Xishuangbanna region of Yunnan Province, in southwest China, in 2007 and 2008. Our results show that: (i) rodents removed nearly all S. wallichianum seeds in both years; (ii) a large proportion (2007, 75%; 2008, 67.5%) of the tagged seeds were cached individually in the surface soil or under leaf litters; (iii) dispersal distance of primary caches was further in 2007 (19.6 ± 14.6 m) than that in 2008 (14.1 ± 11.6 m), and distance increased as rodents recovered and moved seeds from primary caches into subsequent caching sites; and (iv) part of the cached seeds (2007, 3.2%; 2008, 2%) survived to the seedling stage each year. Our study suggests that by taking roles of both primary and secondary seed dispersers, scatter‐hoarding rodents can play a significant role in maintaining seedling establishment of S. wallichianum, and are able to at least partly compensate for the loss of large frugivorous vertebrates in seed dispersal.  相似文献   

4.
The seed predator satiation hypothesis states that high seed abundance can satiate seed predators or seed dispersers, thus promoting seed survival. However, for rapidly germinating seeds in tropical forests, high seed abundance may limit dispersal as the seeds usually remain under parent trees for long periods, which may lead to high mortality due to rodent predation or fungal infestations. By tracking 2 species of rapidly germinating seeds (Pittosporopsis kerrii, family Icacinaceae; Camellia kissi, family Theaceae), which depend on dispersal by scatter‐hoarding rodents, we investigated the effects of seed abundance at the community level on predation and seed dispersal in the tropical forest of Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Southwest China. We found that high seed abundance at the community level was associated with delayed and reduced seed removal, decreased dispersal distance and increased pre‐dispersal seed survival for both plant species. High seed abundance was also associated with reduced seed caching of C. kissi, but it showed little effect on seed caching of P. kerrii. However, post‐dispersal seed survival for the 2 plant species followed the reverse pattern. High seed abundance in the community was associated with higher post‐dispersal survival of P. kerrii seeds, but with lower post‐dispersal survival of C. kissi seeds. Our results suggest that different plant species derive benefit from fluctuations in seed production in different ways.  相似文献   

5.
The scatter‐hoarding behavior of granivorous rodents plays an important role in seed dispersal and seedling regeneration of trees, as well as the evolution of several well‐known mutualisms between trees and rodents in forest ecosystems. Because it is difficult to identify seed hoarders and pilferers under field conditions by traditional methods, the full costs incurred and benefits accrued by scatter‐hoarding have not been fully evaluated in most systems. By using infrared radiation camera tracking and seed tagging, we investigated the benefits and losses of scatter‐hoarded seeds (Camellia oleifera) for 3 sympatric rodent species (Apodemus draco, Niviventer confucianus and Leopoldamys edwardsi) in a subtropical forest of Southwest China during 2013 to 2015. We established the relationships between the rodents and the seeds at the individual level. For each rodent species, we calculated the cache recovery rate of cache owners, as well as conspecific and interspecific pilferage rates. We found that all 3 sympatric rodent species had a cache recovery advantage with rates that far exceeded average pilferage rates over a 30‐day tracking period. The smallest species (A. draco) showed the highest rate of scatter‐hoarding and the highest recovery advantage compared with the other 2 larger species (N. confucianus and L. edwardsi). Our results suggest that scatter‐hoarding benefits cache owners in food competition, supporting the pilferage avoidance hypothesis. Therefore, scatter‐hoarding behavior should be favored by natural selection, and plays a significant role in species coexistence of rodent community and in the formation of mutualism between seeds and rodents in forest ecosystems.  相似文献   

6.
Although seed hoarding by rodents has been extensively studied, differentiation in seed‐hoarding behaviors among sympatric rodent species has not been well investigated. Using semi‐natural enclosures, we demonstrated that three sympatric rodent species showed clear differentiation in food selection, scatter versus larder hoarding behaviors and eating behaviors when offered seeds of four plant species from a warm temperate forest in northern China. The large field mouse Apodemus peninsulae preferred seeds of wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca) and Liaodong oak (Quercus liaotungensis), whereas the Chinese white‐bellied rat Niviventor confucianus preferred seeds of cultivated walnut and Liaodong oak, and the David's rock squirrel Sciurotamias davidianus preferred seeds of cultivated walnut, wild apricot and Liaodong oak. All three rodents showed larder hoarding of seeds from all four plant species, but the large field mouse showed scatter hoarding of wild apricot, and the David's rock squirrel showed scatter hoarding of Liaodong oak and wild walnut. Acorns of Liaodong oak, which have a soft seed hull, were more often eaten in situ, whereas wild walnuts, which have a hard seed hull and more tannin, were less hoarded by all rodent species. Differentiation in the scatter versus larder hoarding behaviors of sympatric rodent species suggests that sympatric rodents play different roles in the regeneration of different sympatric plant species.  相似文献   

7.
Rodents influence plant establishment and regeneration by functioning as both seed predators and dispersers. However, these rodent–plant interactions can vary significantly due to various environmental conditions and the activity of other insect seed predators. Here, we use a combination of both field and enclosure (i.e. individual cage and semi‐natural enclosure) experiments, to determine whether rodents can distinguish sound seeds from those infested with insects. We also demonstrate how such responses to insects are influenced by food abundance and other environmental factors. We presented rodents with 2 kinds of Quercus aliena seeds (sound and insect‐infested seeds) in a subtropical forest in the Qinling Mountains, central China, from September to November of 2011 to 2013. The results showed that rodents preferred to hoard and eat sound seeds than infested seeds in the field and semi‐natural enclosure, while they preferred to eat infested seeds over sound seeds in the individual cages. In addition, both hoarding and eating decisions were influenced by food abundance. Rodents hoarded more sound seeds in years of high food abundance while they consumed more acorns in years of food shortage. Compared with field results, rodents reduced scatter‐hoarding behavior in semi‐natural enclosures and ate more insect‐infested seeds in smaller individual cages. These results further confirm that rodents distinguish infested seeds from non‐infested seeds but demonstrate that this behavior varies with conditions (i.e. environment and food abundance). We suggest that such interactions will influence the dispersal and natural regeneration of seeds as well as predation rates on insect larvae.  相似文献   

8.
Masting is an evolutionary strategy used by plants to promote seed survival and/or seed dispersal under animal predation, but its effects on seedling establishment in field condition are rarely tested by long-term experiments incorporating combined effects of seed and animal abundance. Here, we tracked seed production, rodent-mediated seed dispersal, and seedling establishment in Armeniaca sibirica from 2005 to 2014 in a warm-temperate forest in northern China, and examined the effects of seed abundance and per capita seed availability on seed fate and seedling recruitment rate. Our results showed that seed abundance or per capita seed availability generally benefited the seedling recruitment of A. sibirica through increasing dispersal intensity, supporting predator dispersal hypothesis. However, seedling recruitment showed satiated or even dome-shaped association with per capita seed availability, suggesting the benefit to trees would be decreased when seed abundance were too high as compared to rodent abundance (a satiated effect). Our results suggest that the predator dispersal and satiation effects of masting on seedling recruitment can operate together in one system and conditionally change with seed and animal abundance.  相似文献   

9.
Spatial memory of cached food items plays an important role in cache recovery by scatter‐hoarding animals. However, whether scatter‐hoarding animals intentionally select cache sites with respect to visual landmarks in the environment and then rely on them to recover their cached seeds for later use has not been extensively explored. Furthermore, there is a lack of evidence on whether there are sex differences in visual landmark‐based food‐hoarding behaviors in small rodents even though male and female animals exhibit different spatial abilities. In the present study, we used a scatter‐hoarding animal, the Siberian chipmunk, Tamias sibiricus to explore these questions in semi‐natural enclosures. Our results showed that T. sibiricus preferred to establish caches in the shallow pits labeled with visual landmarks (branches of Pinus sylvestris, leaves of Athyrium brevifrons and PVC tubes). In addition, visual landmarks of P. sylvestris facilitated cache recovery by T. sibiricus. We also found significant sex differences in visual landmark‐based food‐hoarding strategies in Siberian chipmunks. Males, rather than females, chipmunks tended to establish their caches with respect to the visual landmarks. Our studies show that T. sibiricus rely on visual landmarks to establish and recover their caches, and that sex differences exist in visual landmark‐based food hoarding in Siberian chipmunks.  相似文献   

10.
The distributions of small rodents in mountainous environments across different elevations can provide important information regarding the effects of climate change on the dispersal of plant species. However, few studies of oak forest ecosystems have compared the elevational patterns of sympatric rodent diversity, seed dispersal, seed bank, and seedling abundance. Thus, we tested the differences in the seed disperser composition and abundance, seed dispersal, seed bank abundance, and seedling recruitment for Quercus wutaishanica along 10 elevation levels in the Taihang Mountains, China. Our results provide strong evidence that complex asymmetric seed dispersal and seedling regeneration exist along an elevational gradient. The abundance of rodents had a significant negative correlation with the elevation and the seed removal rates peaked and then declined with increasing elevation. The seed removal rates were higher at middle and lower elevations than higher elevations but acorns were predated by 5 species of seed predators at middle and lower elevations, and thus, there was a lower likelihood of recruitment compared with those dropped beneath mother oaks at higher elevations. More importantly, the number of individual seeds in the seed bank and seedlings increased with the elevation, although dispersal services were reduced at sites lacking rodents. As conditional mutualists, the rodents could possibly act as antagonistic seed predators rather than mutualistic seed dispersers at low and middle elevations, thereby resulting in the asymmetric pattern of rodent and seedling abundance with increasing elevation to affect the community assembly and ecosystem functions on a large spatial scale.  相似文献   

11.
By tracking the fate of individual seeds from 6 frugivore‐dispersed plants with contrasting seed traits in a fragmented subtropical forest in Southwest China, we explored how rodent seed predation and hoarding were influenced by seed traits such as seed size, seed coat hardness and seed profitability. Post‐dispersal seed fates varied significantly among the 6 seed species and 3 patterns were witnessed: large‐seeded species with a hard seed coat (i.e. Choerospoadias axillaries and Diospyros kaki var. silvestris) had more seeds removed, cached and then surviving at caches, and they also had fewer seeds predated but a higher proportion of seeds surviving at the source; medium‐sized species with higher profitability and thinner seed coat (i.e. Phoebe zhennan and Padus braohypoda) were first harvested and had the lowest probability of seeds surviving either at the source or at caches due to higher predation before or after removal; and small‐seeded species with lower profitability (i.e. Elaeocarpus japonicas and Cornus controversa) had the highest probability of seeds surviving at the source but the lowest probability of seeds surviving at caches due to lower predation at the source and lower hoarding at caches. Our study indicates that patterns of seed predation, dispersal and survival among frugivore‐dispersed plants are highly determined by seed traits such as seed size, seed defense and seed profitability due to selective predation and hoarding by seed‐eating rodents. Therefore, trait‐mediated seed predation, dispersal and survival via seed‐eating rodents can largely affect population and community dynamics of frugivore‐dispersed plants in fragmented forests.  相似文献   

12.
Deforestation and thinning are human activities that can destabilize the forest ecological system and, consequently, impact significantly on habitat and behavior of forest‐dwelling animals. This hypothesis was tested in Yugong in the Mount Taihangshan area by comparing the tracks of tagged seeds of Armeniaca sibirica. in sites of unthinned and thinned forests. Our results showed that: (i) the diversity of vegetation and rodents drastically reduced in sites with thinned forests, compared to unthinned sites; (ii) the amount of both removed and scatter‐hoarded seeds significantly declined in sites with thinned forests, compared with the unthinned sites; (iii) there was no significant difference observed in the distance of seed dispersal between the thinned and unthinned areas; and (iv) the thinning did not show a significant change to the model of cache size. These results suggested that the thinning of forests negatively influenced the species richness and food‐hoarding behavior of rodents. In addition, the results indicated that the weakened scattered‐hoarding might be disadvantageous to seedling recruitment and forest restoration.  相似文献   

13.
Asymmetric competition occurs when some species have distinct advantages over their competitors and is common in animals with overlapping habitats and diet. However, the mechanism allowing coexistence between asymmetric competitors is not fully clear. Chinese white-bellied rats (Niviventer confucianus, CWR) and Korean field mice (Apodemus peninsulae, KFM) are common asymmetric competitors in shrublands and forests west of Beijing city. They share similar diet (e.g. plant seeds) and activity (nocturnal), but differ in body size (CWR are bigger than KFM), food hoarding habit (CWR: mainly larder hoarding; KFM: both larder and scatter hoarding), and ability to protect cached food (CWR are more aggressive than KFM). Here, we tested seed competition in 15 CWR–KFM pairs over a 10-day period under semi-natural enclosure conditions to uncover the differences in food hoarding, cache pilferage, and food protection between the 2 rodents, and discuss the implication for coexistence. Prior to pilferage, CWR harvested and ate more seeds than KFM. CWR tended to larder hoard seeds, whereas KFM preferred to scatter hoard seeds. Following pilferage, CWR increased consumption, decreased intensity of hoarding, and pilfered more caches from KFM than they lost, while KFM increased consumption more than they hoarded, and they preferred to hoard seeds in low and medium competition areas. Accordingly, both of the 2 rodent species increased their total energy consumption and hoarding following pilferage. Both rodent species tended to harvest seeds from the source, rather than pilfer caches from each other to compensate for cache loss via pilferage. Compared to CWR, KFM consumed fewer seeds when considering seed number, but hoarded more seeds when considering the seeds’ relative energy (energy of hoarded seeds/rodent body mass2/3) at the end of the trials. These results suggest that asymmetric competition for food exists between CWR and KFM, but differentiation in hoarding behavior could help the subordinate species (i.e. KFM) hoard more energy than the dominant species (i.e. CWR), and may contribute to their coexistence in the field.  相似文献   

14.
Density-dependent non-monotonic species interactions are important in maintaining ecosystem stability and function, but empirical evidences are still rare. Rodents, as both seed dispersers and seed predators, have dual effects on plant regeneration and may result in non-monotonic rodent-plant interactions. According to the non-monotonic models, the relative positive or negative effects of rodents on seedling establishment can be measured based on the positive or negative association of seedling recruitment rate and rodent abundance. In this study, we investigated the fates of acorns of Quercus serrata by tracking tagged seeds on 21 fragmented subtropical islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China. We found that the proportion of germinated seeds of all released seeds showed a dome-shaped association with rodent abundance per seed. The proportion of removed seeds and cached seeds showed a saturated- and a weak dome-shaped association with rodent abundance per seed, respectively. Our results demonstrated a clear empirical evidence that rodent abundance per seed triggered a switch between the relative mutualism and predation in a rodent–seed system. Our study implied that the observed non-monotonic interactions between plants and animals may play a significant role in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function. We appeal for more investigations of the complex non-monotonic interactions in various ecosystems.  相似文献   

15.
Some rodents gather and store seeds. How many seeds they gather and how they treat those seeds is largely determined by seed traits such as mass, nutrient content, hardness of the seed coat, presence of secondary compounds, and germination schedule. Through their consumption and dispersal of seeds, rodents act as agents of natural selection on seed traits, and those traits influence how rodents forage. Many seeds that are scatter‐hoarded by rodents are pilfered, or stolen, by other rodents, and seed traits also likely influence pilfering rates and seed fates of pilfered seeds. To clarify coevolutionary relationships between rodents and the plants that they disperse, one needs to understand the role of seed traits in rodent foraging decisions. We compared how the seeds of 4 species of plants that are dispersed by scatter‐hoarding animals and that differ in value (singleleaf piñon pine, Pinus monophylla; desert peach, Prunus andersonii; antelope bitterbrush, Purshia tridentata; Utah juniper, Juniperus osteosperma) were pilfered and recached by rodents. One hundred artificial caches of the 4 seed species (25 per species) were prepared, and removal by rodents was monitored. Rodents pilfered high‐value seeds more rapidly than the other seeds. Desert peach seeds, which contain toxic secondary compounds, were more frequently recached. Relatively low value seeds like Utah juniper and antelope bitterbrush were pilfered more slowly and were sometimes left at cache sites, and seeds of the latter species were transported shorter distances to new cache sites. The background density of seeds also appeared to influence the relative value of seeds.  相似文献   

16.
Post‐dispersal predation is a potentially significant modifier of the distribution of recruiting plants and an often unmeasured determinant of the effectiveness of a frugivore's dispersal service. In the wet tropical forests of Australia and New Guinea, the cassowary provides a large volume, long distance dispersal service incorporating beneficial gut processing; however, the resultant clumped deposition might expose seeds to elevated mortality. We examined the contribution of post‐dispersal seed predation to cassowary dispersal effectiveness by monitoring the fate of 11 species in southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii Linnaeus) droppings over a period of 1 year. Across all species, the rate of predation and removal was relatively slow. After 1 month, 70% of seeds remained intact and outwardly viable, while the number fell to 38% after 1 year. The proportion of seeds remaining intact in droppings varied considerably between species: soft‐seeded and large‐seeded species were more likely to escape removal and predation. Importantly, across all species, seeds in droppings were no more likely to be predated than those left undispersed under the parent tree. We speculate that seed predating and scatter‐hoarding rodents are responsible for the vast majority of predation and removal from droppings and that the few seeds which undergo secondary dispersal survive to germination. Our findings reinforce the conclusion that the cassowary is an important seed disperser; however, dispersal effectiveness for particular plant species can be reduced by massive post‐dispersal seed mortality.  相似文献   

17.
Little is known about seeding regeneration of cultivated trees compared to wild relatives in areas where seed dispersers are shared. Here, we investigated the differences in seed fates of cultivated walnut (Juglans regia) and wild Manchurian walnut (Juglans mandshurica) trees under rodent predation and dispersal. J. regia seeds have higher nutritional value (large size, mass and kernel mass) and lower mechanical defensiveness (thin endocarp) than J. mandshurica seeds. We tracked seeds of J. regia and J. mandshurica under both enclosure and field conditions to assess differences in competing for seed dispersers of the two co‐occurring tree species of the same genus. We found that rodents preferred to harvest, eat and scatter‐hoard seeds of J. regia as compared to those of J. mandshurica. Seeds of J. regia were removed and scatter‐hoarded faster than those of J. mandshurica. Caches of J. regia were more likely to be rediscovered by rodents than those of J. mandshurica. These results suggest that J. regia showed earlier dispersal fitness but not the ultimate dispersal fitness over J. mandshurica in seeding regeneration under rodent mediation, implying that J. regia has little effect on seeding regeneration of J. mandshurica in the field. The effects of seed traits on seed dispersal fitness may vary at different dispersal stages under animal mediation.  相似文献   

18.
The mechanism underlying detection of seed dormancy by scatter‐hoarding rodents is unclear, although previous work suggests that the pericarp plays an important role in signaling dormancy status. Eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) consume early germinating seeds as they are more likely to perish immediately, whereas dormant seeds tend to be cached. To examine the mechanisms underlying dormancy detection, we characterized physical and chemical differences between germinating and dormant pericarps of northern red oak (Quercus rubra), American chestnut (Castanea dentata) and the BC3 hybrid of Chinese chestnut and American chestnut (Castanea mollissima × C. dentata) using scanning electron microscopy and gas chromatography‐ mass spectrometry. We found that, as seeds break dormancy, the wax layer on the pericarp degrades and is accompanied by the escape of lower molecular weight kernel compounds or lipid metabolism byproducts. Our field experiments showed that squirrels were 4–8 times more likely to consume seeds that were altered to remove pericarp wax coating or that were sprayed with seed chemicals. We argue that dormancy detection by scatter‐hoarding rodents is a complex process involving physical cues such as loss of pericarp wax and chemical cues such as emission of olfactory cues.  相似文献   

19.
Habitat fragmentation is globally one of the most important drivers of change in biodiversity. Seed dispersal by birds is crucial for tree regeneration in remnant patchy forests, yet how bird traits affect seed dispersal pattern is still poorly understood. We studied the extent to which bird traits affect seed‐removal networks and whether these traits affect seed deposition and seedling recruitment for 3 co‐fruiting tree species (Taxus chinensis, Cinnamomum bodinieri and Machilus thunbergii) in a patchy forest. A total of 17, 18 and 10 bird species were recorded foraging for seeds of T. chinensis, M. thunbergii and C. bodinieri, respectively. Frequency of bird visitation increased with tail length, wing length and body length. Furthermore, bird body length, bill length, body weight and wing length were important in the strength of the seed removal network. During foraging, 6 bird species exhibited different patterns of microhabitat utilization and their perching frequency increased with bird weight and tarsus length. As a consequence, frequency of habitat use, bird length and tarsus length were important in determining the number of deposited seeds. For seedling recruitment, seedling number increased with bird tarsus length and weight, but decreased with wing length. Overall, our results showed that various bird traits not only affected seed removal, but also influenced the subsequent processes of seed deposition and seedling distribution in a patchy forest. These results thus highlight the importance of large‐bodied birds for plant recruitment and point out the need to prioritize the protection and conservation of these birds in remnant patchy forests.  相似文献   

20.
Although seed dispersal is a key process determining the regeneration and spread of invasive plant populations, few studies have explicitly addressed the link between dispersal vector behavior and seedling recruitment to gain insight into the invasion process within an urban garden context. We evaluated the role of bird vectors in the dispersal of pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), a North American herb that is invasive in urban gardens in China. Fruiting P. americana attracted both generalist and specialist bird species that fed on and dispersed its seeds. The generalist species Pycnonotus sinensis and Urocissa erythrorhyncha were the most frequent dispersers. Seedling numbers of P. americana were strongly associated with the perching behavior of frugivorous birds. If newly recruited bird species use seedling‐safe perching sites, the P. americana will regenerate faster, which would enhance its invasive potential. Based on our observations, we conclude that the 2 main bird vectors, P. sinensis and U. erythrorhyncha, provide potential effective dispersal agents for P. americana. Our results highlight the role of native birds in seed dispersal of invasive plants in urban gardens.  相似文献   

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