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Zhang H, Niu H, Steele MA, Peng L, He H, Li A, Yi X, Li H, Zhang Z. Masting promotes transformation from predation to mutualism in an oak-weevil-rodent system. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2024; 67:1514-1524. [PMID: 38558376 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-023-2517-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The significance of ecological non-monotonicity (a function whose first derivative changes signs) in shaping the structure and functions of the ecosystem has recently been recognized, but such studies involving high-order interactions are rare. Here, we have proposed a three-trophic conceptual diagram on interactions among trees, rodents, and insects in mast and non-mast years and tested the hypothesis that oak (Quercus wutaishanica) masting could result in increased mutualism and less predation in an oak-weevil-rodent system in a warm temperate forest of China. Our 14-year dataset revealed that mast years coincided with a relatively low rodent abundance but a high weevil abundance. Masting not only benefited seedling recruitment of oaks through increased dispersal by rodents but also a decrease in predation by rodents and weevils, as well as an increase in the overwintering survival of rodents. Masting appeared to have increased weevil survival by reducing predation of infested acorns by rodents. These results suggest that masting benefits all participants in the plant-insect-rodent system by increasing mutualism and reducing predation behavior (i.e., a non-monotonic function). Our study highlights the significance of masting in maintaining the diversity and function of the forest ecosystem by facilitating the transformation from predation to mutualism among trophic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Zhang
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China.
| | - Hongyu Niu
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, 18766, USA
| | - Liqing Peng
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Huimin He
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Aoqiang Li
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, School of Life Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, 430079, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- School of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, 273165, China
| | - Hongjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
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Zwolak R, Clement D, Sih A, Schreiber SJ. Granivore abundance shapes mutualism quality in plant-scatterhoarder interactions. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:1840-1850. [PMID: 38044708 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Conditional mutualisms involve costs and benefits that vary with environmental factors, but mechanisms driving these dynamics remain poorly understood. Scatterhoarder-plant interactions are a prime example of this phenomenon, as scatterhoarders can either increase or reduce plant recruitment depending on the balance between seed dispersal and predation. We explored factors that drive the magnitude of net benefits for plants in this interaction using a mathematical model, with parameter values based on European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis). We measured benefits as the percentage of germinating seeds, and examined how varying rodent survival (reflecting, e.g. changes in predation pressure), the rate of seed loss to other granivores, the abundance of alternative food resources, and changes in masting patterns affect the quality of mutualism. We found that increasing granivore abundance can degrade the quality of plant-scatterhoarder mutualism due to increased cache pilferage. Scatterhoarders are predicted to respond by increasing immediate consumption of gathered seeds, leading to higher costs and reduced benefits for plants. Thus, biotic changes that are detrimental to rodent populations can be beneficial for tree recruitment due to adaptive behavior of rodents. When scatterhoarder populations decline too drastically (< 5 individuals ha-1 ); however, tree recruitment may also suffer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, Poznań, 61-614, Poland
| | - Dale Clement
- School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-4236, USA
| | - Andrew Sih
- Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Sebastian J Schreiber
- Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
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3
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Vaz PG, Bugalho MN, Fedriani JM. Grazing hinders seed dispersal during crop failure in a declining oak woodland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 907:167835. [PMID: 37839490 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2023] [Revised: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Masting, the synchronized production of variable quantities of seeds, is a global phenomenon in diverse ecosystems, including treed grazing systems where trees and grazing animals coexist. This phenomenon can be interspersed with years of extreme crop failure, whose frequency and unpredictability are increasing. Yet, the combined impact of crop failure and grazing on seed dispersal and seed-to-seedling transition remains poorly understood. To address this concern, we investigated rodent-mediated cork-oak (Quercus suber) acorn predation, dispersal, and seedling emergence in cattle grazed and non-grazed areas in central Portugal during years with contrasting masting seasons. We found that the acorns supplied in the crop failure year were dispersed more rapidly and over longer distances than those supplied in the crop success year when other acorns were naturally available. The crop failure year also had 83 % more dispersal events and 84 % more predated acorns than the reproductive success year. However, the higher acorn predation was offset by a 2.4-fold higher percentage of unpredated dispersed acorns recruiting into seedlings. Both years ended up recruiting a similar number of seedlings. Acorns emerged seedlings 3.4 times farther in the crop failure year than in the crop success year. Cattle grazing was the main constraint on seed dispersal distance by rodents, reducing it by 53 %. Our study provides empirical evidence that cattle grazing modulates how an extreme crop failure year can surprisingly be an opportunity for the few existing acorns to have seedlings established farther apart than in a crop success year. If we are to better manage and preserve the high conservation and socio-economic value of Mediterranean cork oak woodlands in the face of climate change, we must prioritize fecund trees and carefully manage seed dispersal factors such as cattle grazing, particularly during years of crop failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pedro G Vaz
- cE3c-Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE, Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, C2, Piso 5, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal; Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN- InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Miguel N Bugalho
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves" (CEABN- InBIO), School of Agriculture, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Jose M Fedriani
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación CIDE, CSIC-UVEG-GV, Carretera de Moncada a Náquera, km 4.5, 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain; Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), c/Américo Vespucio s/n, 41092 Seville, Spain
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4
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Yu F, Zhang L, Wang Y, Yi X, Zhang S, Ma J, Dong Z, Chen G, Ma K. High rodent abundance increases seed removal but decreases scatter-hoarding and seedling recruitment along an elevational gradient. Integr Zool 2023; 18:843-858. [PMID: 36300758 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Linjun Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Yang Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
| | - Shuang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jianmin Ma
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Zimei Dong
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Guangwen Chen
- College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Keming Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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5
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Qiu T, Aravena MC, Ascoli D, Bergeron Y, Bogdziewicz M, Boivin T, Bonal R, Caignard T, Cailleret M, Calama R, Calderon SD, Camarero JJ, Chang-Yang CH, Chave J, Chianucci F, Courbaud B, Cutini A, Das AJ, Delpierre N, Delzon S, Dietze M, Dormont L, Espelta JM, Fahey TJ, Farfan-Rios W, Franklin JF, Gehring CA, Gilbert GS, Gratzer G, Greenberg CH, Guignabert A, Guo Q, Hacket-Pain A, Hampe A, Han Q, Holik J, Hoshizaki K, Ibanez I, Johnstone JF, Journé V, Kitzberger T, Knops JMH, Kunstler G, Kurokawa H, Lageard JGA, LaMontagne JM, Lefevre F, Leininger T, Limousin JM, Lutz JA, Macias D, Marell A, McIntire EJB, Moore CM, Moran E, Motta R, Myers JA, Nagel TA, Naoe S, Noguchi M, Oguro M, Parmenter R, Pearse IS, Perez-Ramos IM, Piechnik L, Podgorski T, Poulsen J, Redmond MD, Reid CD, Rodman KC, Rodriguez-Sanchez F, Samonil P, Sanguinetti JD, Scher CL, Seget B, Sharma S, Shibata M, Silman M, Steele MA, Stephenson NL, Straub JN, Sutton S, Swenson JJ, Swift M, Thomas PA, Uriarte M, Vacchiano G, Whipple AV, Whitham TG, Wion AP, Wright SJ, Zhu K, Zimmerman JK, Zywiec M, Clark JS. Masting is uncommon in trees that depend on mutualist dispersers in the context of global climate and fertility gradients. NATURE PLANTS 2023:10.1038/s41477-023-01446-5. [PMID: 37386149 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01446-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
The benefits of masting (volatile, quasi-synchronous seed production at lagged intervals) include satiation of seed predators, but these benefits come with a cost to mutualist pollen and seed dispersers. If the evolution of masting represents a balance between these benefits and costs, we expect mast avoidance in species that are heavily reliant on mutualist dispersers. These effects play out in the context of variable climate and site fertility among species that vary widely in nutrient demand. Meta-analyses of published data have focused on variation at the population scale, thus omitting periodicity within trees and synchronicity between trees. From raw data on 12 million tree-years worldwide, we quantified three components of masting that have not previously been analysed together: (i) volatility, defined as the frequency-weighted year-to-year variation; (ii) periodicity, representing the lag between high-seed years; and (iii) synchronicity, indicating the tree-to-tree correlation. Results show that mast avoidance (low volatility and low synchronicity) by species dependent on mutualist dispersers explains more variation than any other effect. Nutrient-demanding species have low volatility, and species that are most common on nutrient-rich and warm/wet sites exhibit short periods. The prevalence of masting in cold/dry sites coincides with climatic conditions where dependence on vertebrate dispersers is less common than in the wet tropics. Mutualist dispersers neutralize the benefits of masting for predator satiation, further balancing the effects of climate, site fertility and nutrient demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tong Qiu
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA.
| | - Marie-Claire Aravena
- Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservacion de la Naturaleza (FCFCN), Universidad de Chile, La Pintana, Santiago, Chile
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
| | - Yves Bergeron
- Forest Research Institute, University of Quebec in Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada
| | - Michal Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Thomas Boivin
- Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Ecologie des Forets Mediterranennes, Avignon, France
| | - Raul Bonal
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Thomas Caignard
- Universite Bordeaux, Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Biodiversity, Genes, and Communities (BIOGECO), Pessac, France
| | - Maxime Cailleret
- NRAE, Aix-Marseille University, UMR RECOVER, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Rafael Calama
- Centro de Investigacion Forestal (INIA-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Sergio Donoso Calderon
- Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservacion de la Naturaleza (FCFCN), Universidad de Chile, La Pintana, Santiago, Chile
| | - J Julio Camarero
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologla, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (IPE-CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Chia-Hao Chang-Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Jerome Chave
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversite Biologique, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Benoit Courbaud
- Universite Grenoble Alpes, Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Laboratoire EcoSystemes et Societes En Montagne (LESSEM), St. Martin-d'Heres, France
| | - Andrea Cutini
- Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, Arezzo, Italy
| | - Adrian J Das
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Three Rivers, CA, USA
| | - Nicolas Delpierre
- Universite Paris-Saclay, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systematique et Evolution, Orsay, France
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- Universite Bordeaux, Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Biodiversity, Genes, and Communities (BIOGECO), Pessac, France
| | - Michael Dietze
- Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laurent Dormont
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Montpellier, France
| | - Josep Maria Espelta
- Centre de Recerca Ecologica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Bellaterra, Catalunya, Spain
| | | | - William Farfan-Rios
- Washington University in Saint Louis, Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Catherine A Gehring
- Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Adaptive Western Landscapes, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Gregory S Gilbert
- Department of Environmental Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Georg Gratzer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Wien, Austria
| | | | | | - Qinfeng Guo
- Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Arndt Hampe
- Universite Bordeaux, Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Biodiversity, Genes, and Communities (BIOGECO), Pessac, France
| | - Qingmin Han
- Department of Plant Ecology Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Jan Holik
- Department of Forest Ecology, Silva Tarouca Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Kazuhiko Hoshizaki
- Department of Biological Environment, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, Japan
| | - Ines Ibanez
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jill F Johnstone
- Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Valentin Journé
- Universite Grenoble Alpes, Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Laboratoire EcoSystemes et Societes En Montagne (LESSEM), St. Martin-d'Heres, France
| | - Thomas Kitzberger
- Department of Ecology, Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas - Universidad Nacional del Comahue), Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Johannes M H Knops
- Health and Environmental Sciences Department, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
| | - Georges Kunstler
- Universite Grenoble Alpes, Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Laboratoire EcoSystemes et Societes En Montagne (LESSEM), St. Martin-d'Heres, France
| | - Hiroko Kurokawa
- Department of Forest Vegetation, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan, Ibaraki
| | - Jonathan G A Lageard
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | | | - Francois Lefevre
- Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Ecologie des Forets Mediterranennes, Avignon, France
| | - Theodor Leininger
- USDA, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Stoneville, MS, USA
| | | | - James A Lutz
- Department of Wildland Resources, and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Diana Macias
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | | | | | | | - Emily Moran
- School of Natural Sciences, UC Merced, Merced, CA, USA
| | - Renzo Motta
- Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, Grugliasco, Torino, Italy
| | - Jonathan A Myers
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Thomas A Nagel
- Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Shoji Naoe
- Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Morioka, Iwate, Japan
| | - Mahoko Noguchi
- Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Morioka, Iwate, Japan
| | - Michio Oguro
- Department of Forest Vegetation, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan, Ibaraki
| | - Robert Parmenter
- Valles Caldera National Preserve, National Park Service, Jemez Springs, NM, USA
| | - Ian S Pearse
- U.S. Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Ignacio M Perez-Ramos
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia de Sevilla, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (IRNAS-CSIC), Seville, Andalucia, Spain
| | - Lukasz Piechnik
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Tomasz Podgorski
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Bialowieza, Poland
| | - John Poulsen
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Miranda D Redmond
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Chantal D Reid
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Kyle C Rodman
- Ecological Restoration Institute, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | | | - Pavel Samonil
- Department of Forest Ecology, Silva Tarouca Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Javier D Sanguinetti
- Bilogo Dpto. Conservacin y Manejo, Parque Nacional Lanin Elordi y Perito Moreno, San Marten de los Andes, Neuqun, Argentina
| | - C Lane Scher
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Barbara Seget
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - Shubhi Sharma
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mitsue Shibata
- Department of Forest Vegetation, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, Japan, Ibaraki
| | - Miles Silman
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | | | - Nathan L Stephenson
- U.S. Geological Survey Western Ecological Research Center, Three Rivers, CA, USA
| | - Jacob N Straub
- Department of Environmental Science and Ecology, State University of New York-Brockport, Brockport, NY, USA
| | - Samantha Sutton
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Margaret Swift
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Peter A Thomas
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Maria Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Giorgio Vacchiano
- Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Production, Territory, Agroenergy (DISAA), University of Milan, Milano, Italy
| | - Amy V Whipple
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Thomas G Whitham
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Andreas P Wion
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - S Joseph Wright
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Republic of Panama
| | - Kai Zhu
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Jess K Zimmerman
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, PR, USA
| | - Magdalena Zywiec
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow, Poland
| | - James S Clark
- Universite Grenoble Alpes, Institut National de Recherche pour Agriculture, Alimentation et Environnement (INRAE), Laboratoire EcoSystemes et Societes En Montagne (LESSEM), St. Martin-d'Heres, France
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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6
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Thom D, Ammer C, Annighöfer P, Aszalós R, Dittrich S, Hagge J, Keeton WS, Kovacs B, Krautkrämer O, Müller J, von Oheimb G, Seidl R. Regeneration in European beech forests after drought: the effects of microclimate, deadwood and browsing. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH 2022; 142:259-273. [PMID: 37065509 PMCID: PMC10085954 DOI: 10.1007/s10342-022-01520-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED With progressing climate change, increasing weather extremes will endanger tree regeneration. Canopy openings provide light for tree establishment, but also reduce the microclimatic buffering effect of forests. Thus, disturbances can have both positive and negative impacts on tree regeneration. In 2015, three years before an extreme drought episode hit Central Europe, we established a manipulation experiment with a factorial block design in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)-dominated forests. At five sites located in southeastern Germany, we conducted three censuses of tree regeneration after implementing two different canopy disturbances (aggregated and distributed canopy openings), and four deadwood treatments (retaining downed, standing, downed + standing deadwood and removing all deadwood), as well as in one untreated control plot. In addition, we measured understory light levels and recorded local air temperature and humidity over five years. We (i) tested the effects of experimental disturbance and deadwood treatments on regeneration and (ii) identified the drivers of regeneration density as well as seedling species and structural diversity. Regeneration density increased over time. Aggregated canopy openings supported species and structural diversity, but reduced regeneration density. Tree regeneration was positively associated with understory light levels, while maximum vapor pressure deficit influenced tree regeneration negatively. Deadwood and browsing impacts on regeneration varied and were inconclusive. Our study indicates that despite the drought episode regeneration in beech-dominated forests persisted under moderately disturbed canopies. However, the positive effect of increased light availability on tree regeneration might have been offset by harsher microclimate after canopies have been disturbed. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10342-022-01520-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik Thom
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-Von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, 617 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405 USA
| | - Christian Ammer
- Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Faculty of Forest Sciences, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 1, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter Annighöfer
- Forestry and Agroforestry Systems Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-Von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Réka Aszalós
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány Út 2-4, Vácrátót, 2163 Hungary
| | - Sebastian Dittrich
- Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Department of Forest Sciences, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Straße 7, 01737 Tharandt, Germany
| | - Jonas Hagge
- Forest Nature Conservation, Northwest German Forest Research Institute, Prof.-Oelkers-Str. 6, 34346 Hann. Münden, Germany
- Forest Nature Conservation, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - William S. Keeton
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, 617 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405 USA
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405 USA
| | - Bence Kovacs
- Centre for Ecological Research, Institute of Ecology and Botany, Alkotmány Út 2-4, Vácrátót, 2163 Hungary
| | - Ole Krautkrämer
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-University of Marburg, Karl-Von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- LPV, Thüringer Wald E. V., Rennsteigstraße 18, 98673 Eisfeld, OT Friedrichshöhe Germany
| | - Jörg Müller
- Ecological Field Station Fabrikschleichach, Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology, University of Würzburg, Glashüttenstraße 5, 96181 Rauhenebrach, Germany
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Freyunger Strasse 2, 94481 Grafenau, Germany
| | - Goddert von Oheimb
- Institute of General Ecology and Environmental Protection, Department of Forest Sciences, Technische Universität Dresden, Pienner Straße 7, 01737 Tharandt, Germany
| | - Rupert Seidl
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-Von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park, Doktorberg 6, 83471 Berchtesgaden, Germany
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7
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Baláž I, Bogdziewicz M, Dziemian-Zwolak S, Presti CL, Wróbel A, Zduniak M, Zwolak R. From trees to fleas: masting indirectly affects flea abundance on a rodent host. Integr Zool 2022; 18:440-452. [PMID: 35848894 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Mast seeding causes strong fluctuations in populations of forest animals. Thus, this phenomenon can be used as a natural experiment to examine how variation in host abundance affects parasite loads. We investigated fleas infesting yellow-necked mice in beech forest after two mast and two non-mast years. We tested two mutually exclusive scenarios: (1) as predicted by classical models of density-dependent transmission, an increase in host density will cause an increase in ectoparasite abundance (defined as the number of parasites per host), vs. (2) an increase in host density will cause a decline in flea abundance ("dilution", which is thought to occur when parasite population growth is slower than that of the host). In addition, we assessed whether masting alters the relationship between host traits (sex and body mass) and flea abundance. We found a hump-shaped relationship between host and flea abundance. Thus, the most basic predictions are too simple to describe ectoparasite dynamics in this system. In addition, masting modified seasonal dynamics of flea abundance, but did not affect the relationship between host traits and flea abundance (individuals with the highest body mass hosted the most fleas; after controlling for body mass, parasite abundance did not vary between sexes). Our results demonstrate that pulses of tree reproduction can indirectly, through changes in host densities, drive patterns of ectoparasite infestation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Baláž
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Constantine the Philosopher University in Nitra, Slovenia
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland.,French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Laboratory of EcoSystems and Societes in Mountain Environments
| | | | | | - Aleksandra Wróbel
- Department of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Milena Zduniak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
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8
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Bednarz PA, Zwolak R. Body mass and sex, but not breeding condition and season, influence open‐field exploration in the yellow‐necked mouse. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8771. [PMID: 35356564 PMCID: PMC8958246 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Theory predicts that risk taking should be influenced by external (e.g., season) and internal (e.g., breeding condition, sex, and body mass) conditions. We investigated whether these factors are associated with a potentially risky behavior: exploration of a novel environment. We conducted repeated open‐field tests of exploration in a common forest rodent, the yellow‐necked mouse Apodemus flavicollis. Contrary to expectations, the exploration did not vary with the season (spring vs. fall) or the reproductive status of the tested animals. Also unexpectedly, there was an inverted U‐shaped relationship between body mass and exploration: animals with intermediate body mass tended to have the highest exploration tendencies. Males were more exploratory than females. Finally, even after adjusting for the effects of body mass and sex, individuals exhibited consistent, repeatable differences in exploration tendencies (“behavioral types” or “personalities”). The discrepancies between certain broad generalizations and our results suggest that risk taking depends on details of species‐specific biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula A. Bednarz
- Department of Systematic Zoology Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań Poznań Poland
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań Poznań Poland
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9
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Abstract
Masting, or synchronous production of large seed crops, is widespread among plants. The predator satiation hypothesis states that masting evolved to overwhelm seed predators with an excess of food. Yet, this popular explanation faced few rigorous tests. We conducted a meta-analysis of studies that related the magnitude of seed production to the intensity of seed predation. Our results validate certain theoretical notions (e.g., that predator satiation is more effective at higher latitudes) but challenge others (e.g., that specialist and generalist consumers differ in the type of functional response to masting). We also found that masting is losing its ability to satiate consumers, probably because global warming affected masting patterns. This shift might considerably impair the reproduction of masting plants. Predator satiation is the most commonly tested hypothesis that explains the evolutionary advantages of masting. It proposes that masting benefits plant reproduction by reducing the proportion of seed crop that is consumed by predators. This hypothesis is widely accepted, but many theoretical notions about predator satiation have not been subjected to a robust evaluation. To address this issue, we conducted a meta-analysis of studies that quantified seed predation in relation to mast seeding. We found evidence of both numerical (starvation between mast years) and functional (satiation during mast years) response of consumers to masting. These two effects reinforced each other. Masting satiated invertebrate but not vertebrate seed predators. Satiation was more pronounced at higher, temperate, and boreal latitudes, perhaps because masting is more effective in reducing seed losses when plant communities are less diverse. The effectiveness of masting in satiating invertebrate consumers declined over time (1972 to 2018), probably reflecting the impact of climate change on the frequency and intensity of masting. If masting ceases to reduce seed losses, a crucial advantage of this reproductive strategy will be lost, and sustainability of many tree populations will decline.
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10
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Godó L, Valkó O, Borza S, Deák B. A global review on the role of small rodents and lagomorphs (clade Glires) in seed dispersal and plant establishment. Glob Ecol Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
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11
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Pearse IS, Wion AP, Gonzalez AD, Pesendorfer MB. Understanding mast seeding for conservation and land management. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200383. [PMID: 34657466 PMCID: PMC8520776 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Masting, the intermittent and synchronous production of large seed crops, can have profound consequences for plant populations and the food webs that are built on their seeds. For centuries, people have recorded mast crops because of their importance in managing wildlife populations. In the past 30 years, we have begun to recognize the importance of masting in conserving and managing many other aspects of the environment: promoting the regeneration of forests following fire or other disturbance, conserving rare plants, conscientiously developing the use of edible seeds as non-timber forest products, coping with the consequences of extinctions on seed dispersal, reducing the impacts of plant invasions with biological control, suppressing zoonotic diseases and preventing depredation of endemic fauna. We summarize current instances and future possibilities of a broad set of applications of masting. By exploring in detail several case studies, we develop new perspectives on how solutions to pressing conservation and land management problems may benefit by better understanding the dynamics of seed production. A lesson common to these examples is that masting can be used to time management, and often, to do this effectively, we need models that explicitly forecast masting and the dynamics of seed-eating animals into the near-term future. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian S. Pearse
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO 80526, USA
| | - Andreas P. Wion
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1177, USA
- Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1177, USA
| | - Angela D. Gonzalez
- Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1177, USA
| | - Mario B. Pesendorfer
- Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna 1190, Austria
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Migratory Bird Center, Washington, DC 20013, USA
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12
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Zwolak R, Clement D, Sih A, Schreiber SJ. Mast seeding promotes evolution of scatter-hoarding. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200375. [PMID: 34657470 PMCID: PMC8520775 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many plant species worldwide are dispersed by scatter-hoarding granivores: animals that hide seeds in numerous, small caches for future consumption. Yet, the evolution of scatter-hoarding is difficult to explain because undefended caches are at high risk of pilferage. Previous models have attempted to solve this problem by giving cache owners large advantages in cache recovery, by kin selection, or by introducing reciprocal pilferage of 'shared' seed resources. However, the role of environmental variability has been so far overlooked in this context. One important form of such variability is masting, which is displayed by many plant species dispersed by scatterhoarders. We use a mathematical model to investigate the influence of masting on the evolution of scatter-hoarding. The model accounts for periodically varying annual seed fall, caching and pilfering behaviour, and the demography of scatterhoarders. The parameter values are based mostly on research on European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis). Starvation of scatterhoarders between mast years decreases the population density that enters masting events, which leads to reduced seed pilferage. Satiation of scatterhoarders during mast events lowers the reproductive cost of caching (i.e. the cost of caching for the future rather than using seeds for current reproduction). These reductions promote the evolution of scatter-hoarding behaviour especially when interannual variation in seed fall and the period between masting events are large. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Dale Clement
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Andrew Sih
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Sebastian J. Schreiber
- Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center of Population Biology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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13
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Hacket-Pain A, Bogdziewicz M. Climate change and plant reproduction: trends and drivers of mast seeding change. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200379. [PMID: 34657461 PMCID: PMC8520772 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is reshaping global vegetation through its impacts on plant mortality, but recruitment creates the next generation of plants and will determine the structure and composition of future communities. Recruitment depends on mean seed production, but also on the interannual variability and among-plant synchrony in seed production, the phenomenon known as mast seeding. Thus, predicting the long-term response of global vegetation dynamics to climate change requires understanding the response of masting to changing climate. Recently, data and methods have become available allowing the first assessments of long-term changes in masting. Reviewing the literature, we evaluate evidence for a fingerprint of climate change on mast seeding and discuss the drivers and impacts of these changes. We divide our discussion into the main characteristics of mast seeding: interannual variation, synchrony, temporal autocorrelation and mast frequency. Data indicate that masting patterns are changing but the direction of that change varies, likely reflecting the diversity of proximate factors underlying masting across taxa. Experiments to understand the proximate mechanisms underlying masting, in combination with the analysis of long-term datasets, will enable us to understand this observed variability in the response of masting. This will allow us to predict future shifts in masting patterns, and consequently ecosystem impacts of climate change via its impacts on masting. This article is part of the theme issue 'The ecology and evolution of synchronized seed production in plants'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZT, UK
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Ulica Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, Poznań, 61‐614 Poland
- INRAE, LESSEM, University Grenoble Alpes, 2 rue de la Papeterie, BP 76, Saint‐Martin‐d'Hères, 38400 France
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14
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Wright BR. Evidence that predator satiation drives reproductive synchrony in the desert masting grass, soft spinifex (
Triodia pungens
). AUSTRAL ECOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.13119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Boyd R. Wright
- Botany, School of Environmental and Rural Science University of New England Armidale New South Wales Australia
- School of Agriculture and Food Science University of Queensland St Lucia Queensland Australia
- Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security Alice Springs Herbarium, Northern Territory Government Alice Springs Northern Territory Australia
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15
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Bogdziewicz M, Hacket-Pain A, Kelly D, Thomas PA, Lageard J, Tanentzap AJ. Climate warming causes mast seeding to break down by reducing sensitivity to weather cues. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:1952-1961. [PMID: 33604979 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is altering patterns of seed production worldwide with consequences for population recruitment and migration potential. For the many species that regenerate through synchronized, quasiperiodic reproductive events termed masting, these changes include decreases in the synchrony and interannual variation in seed production. This breakdown in the occurrence of masting features harms reproduction by decreasing the efficiency of pollination and increasing seed predation. Changes in masting are often paralleled by warming temperatures, but the underlying proximate mechanisms are unknown. We used a unique 39-year study of 139 European beech (Fagus sylvatica) trees that experienced masting breakdown to track the seed developmental cycle and pinpoint phases where weather effects on seed production have changed over time. A cold followed by warm summer led to large coordinated flowering efforts among plants. However, trees failed to respond to the weather signal as summers warmed and the frequency of reproductive cues changed fivefold. Less synchronous flowering resulted in less efficient pollination that further decreased the synchrony of seed maturation. As global temperatures are expected to increase this century, perennial plants that fine-tune their reproductive schedules based on temperature cues may suffer regeneration failures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Dave Kelly
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Peter A Thomas
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Jonathan Lageard
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew J Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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16
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Bogdziewicz M, Szymkowiak J, Tanentzap AJ, Calama R, Marino S, Steele MA, Seget B, Piechnik Ł, Żywiec M. Seed predation selects for reproductive variability and synchrony in perennial plants. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2021; 229:2357-2364. [PMID: 32744333 PMCID: PMC7891628 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Annually variable and synchronous seed production by plant populations, or masting, is a widespread reproductive strategy in long-lived plants. Masting is thought to be selectively beneficial because interannual variability and synchrony increase the fitness of plants through economies of scale that decrease the cost of reproduction per surviving offspring. Predator satiation is believed to be a key economy of scale, but whether it can drive phenotypic evolution for masting in plants has been rarely explored. We used data from seven plant species (Quercus humilis, Quercus ilex, Quercus rubra, Quercus alba, Quercus montana, Sorbus aucuparia and Pinus pinea) to determine whether predispersal seed predation selects for plant phenotypes that mast. Predation selected for interannual variability in Mediterranean oaks (Q. humilis and Q. ilex), for synchrony in Q. rubra, and for both interannual variability and reproductive synchrony in S. aucuparia and P. pinea. Predation never selected for negative temporal autocorrelation of seed production. Predation by invertebrates appears to select for only some aspects of masting, most importantly high coefficient of variation, supporting individual-level benefits of the population-level phenomenon of mast seeding. Determining the selective benefits of masting is complex because of interactions with other seed predators, which may impose contradictory selective pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic ZoologyFaculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityUl. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6Poznań61‐614Poland
| | - Jakub Szymkowiak
- Population Ecology LabFaculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityUl. Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6Poznań61‐614Poland
| | - Andrew J. Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change GroupDepartment of Plant SciencesUniversity of CambridgeDowning StreetCambridgeCB2 3EAUK
| | - Rafael Calama
- Department of Forest Dynamics and ManagementINIA‐CIFORCtra A Coruña km 7.5Madrid28040Spain
| | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of BiologyWilkes UniversityWilkes‐BarrePA18766USA
| | | | - Barbara Seget
- Władysław Szafer Institute of BotanyPolish Academy of SciencesLubicz 46Kraków31‐512Poland
| | - Łukasz Piechnik
- Władysław Szafer Institute of BotanyPolish Academy of SciencesLubicz 46Kraków31‐512Poland
| | - Magdalena Żywiec
- Władysław Szafer Institute of BotanyPolish Academy of SciencesLubicz 46Kraków31‐512Poland
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17
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Fedriani JM, Calvo G, Delibes M, Ayllón D, Garrote PJ. The overlooked benefits of synzoochory: rodents rescue seeds from aborted fruits. Ecosphere 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jose M. Fedriani
- Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación CIDE CSIC‐UVEG‐GV Carretera de Moncada a Náquera, km 4,5. 46113 Moncada Valencia Spain
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD ‐ C.S.I.C.) c/Americo Vespucio s/n Seville41092Spain
| | - Gemma Calvo
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD ‐ C.S.I.C.) c/Americo Vespucio s/n Seville41092Spain
| | - Miguel Delibes
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD ‐ C.S.I.C.) c/Americo Vespucio s/n Seville41092Spain
| | - Daniel Ayllón
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution Complutense University of Madrid (UCM) c/José Antonio Novais 12 Madrid28040Spain
| | - Pedro J. Garrote
- Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves"/InBio Institute Superior of Agronomy University of Lisbon Portugal
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18
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Bogdziewicz M, Kelly D, Tanentzap AJ, Thomas PA, Lageard JGA, Hacket-Pain A. Climate Change Strengthens Selection for Mast Seeding in European Beech. Curr Biol 2020; 30:3477-3483.e2. [PMID: 32649915 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is altering patterns of seed production worldwide [1-4], but the potential for evolutionary responses to these changes is poorly understood. Masting (synchronous, annually variable seed production by plant populations) is selectively beneficial through economies of scale that decrease the cost of reproduction per surviving offspring [5-7]. Masting is particularly widespread in temperate trees [8, 9] impacting food webs, macronutrient cycling, carbon storage, and human disease risk [10-12], so understanding its response to climate change is important. Here, we analyze inter-individual variability in plant reproductive patterns and two economies of scale-predator satiation and pollination efficiency-and document how natural selection acting upon them favors masting. Four decades of observations for European beech (Fagus sylvatica) show that predator satiation and pollination efficiency select for individuals with higher inter-annual variability of reproduction and higher reproductive synchrony between individuals. This result confirms the long-standing theory that masting, a population-level phenomenon, is generated by selection on individuals. Furthermore, recent climate-driven increases in mean seed production have increased selection pressure from seed predators but not from pollination efficiency. Natural selection is thus acting to restore the fitness benefits of masting, which have previously decreased under a warming climate [13]. However, selection will likely take far longer (centuries) than climate warming (decades), so in the short-term, tree reproduction will be reduced because masting has become less effective at satiating seed predators. Over the long-term, evolutionary responses to climate change could potentially increase inter-annual variability of seed production of masting species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umutlowska 89, 61-614 Poznan, Poland; CREAF, Universitat de Autonoma Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193 Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Dave Kelly
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand
| | - Andrew J Tanentzap
- Ecosystems and Global Change Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St., Cambridge CB2 3EA, UK
| | - Peter A Thomas
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK
| | - Jonathan G A Lageard
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester M1 5GD, UK
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZT, UK
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19
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Zhang H, Yan C, Wu S, Si J, Yi X, Li H, Zhang Z. Effects of masting on seedling establishment of a rodent-dispersed tree species in a warm-temperate region, northern China. Integr Zool 2020; 16:97-108. [PMID: 32329566 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmao Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Chuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystem, Institute of Innovation Ecology & College of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shiqi Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Junjie Si
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Evolution and Ecology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China
| | - Hongjun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, China
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20
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Tissier ML, Réale D, Garant D, Bergeron P. Consumption of red maple in anticipation of beech mast‐seeding drives reproduction in eastern chipmunks. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1190-1201. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Denis Réale
- Département des Sciences Biologiques Université du Québec à Montréal Montréal QC Canada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de Biologie Université de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke QC Canada
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21
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Bogdziewicz M, Kelly D, Thomas PA, Lageard JGA, Hacket-Pain A. Climate warming disrupts mast seeding and its fitness benefits in European beech. NATURE PLANTS 2020; 6:88-94. [PMID: 32042155 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-020-0592-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Many plants benefit from synchronous year-to-year variation in seed production, called masting. Masting benefits plants because it increases the efficiency of pollination and satiates predators, which reduces seed loss. Here, using a 39-year-long dataset, we show that climate warming over recent decades has increased seed production of European beech but decreased the year-to-year variability of seed production and the reproductive synchrony among individuals. Consequently, the benefit that the plants gained from masting has declined. While climate warming was associated with increased reproductive effort, we demonstrate that less effective pollination and greater losses of seeds to predators offset any benefits to the plants. This shows that an apparently simple benefit of climate warming unravels because of complex ecological interactions. Our results indicate that in masting systems, the main beneficiaries of climate-driven increases in seed production are seed predators, not plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.
| | - Dave Kelly
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Peter A Thomas
- School of Life Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK
| | - Jonathan G A Lageard
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
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Maringer J, Wohlgemuth T, Hacket-Pain A, Ascoli D, Berretti R, Conedera M. Drivers of persistent post-fire recruitment in European beech forests. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 699:134006. [PMID: 31522049 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 08/16/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is expected to alter disturbance regimes including fires in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests. Regarding the resilience of beech forests to fire it is questionable whether seeds of this non-serotinous obligate masting seeder find advantageous conditions in a post-fire environment. The probability of recruitment success has been shown to increase when fire coincides with a mast year. However, the fire-induced recruitment window is poorly defined, and it is unclear how other interacting factors influence its duration. We used a space-for-time approach to model the relationships between post-fire beech recruitment, timing of seed mast events, and interacting environmental conditions using a zero-inflated model. Our results show that recruitment peaks 5-12 years after a fire, and continues throughout three decades post-fire. Beech recruitment in the post-fire period is driven by mast intensity interacting with (i) canopy opening as a consequence of progressive post-fire tree mortality and (ii) coverages of competing ground vegetation. Spring-summer moisture showed a weak positive effect on beech recruitment. We conclude that fires increase light availability, which in coincidence with a mast event results in pulses of beech recruitment. The delayed post-fire mortality of beech creates a recruitment window lasting for up to three decades, resulting in a higher-than-expected resilience of beech to individual fire disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Maringer
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Insubric Ecosystems, A Ramél 18, CH-6593 Cadenazzo, Switzerland.
| | - Thomas Wohlgemuth
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Disturbance Ecology, Züricherstrasse 111, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZT, UK.
| | - Davide Ascoli
- Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
| | - Roberta Berretti
- Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy.
| | - Marco Conedera
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Insubric Ecosystems, A Ramél 18, CH-6593 Cadenazzo, Switzerland.
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23
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Schupp EW, Zwolak R, Jones LR, Snell RS, Beckman NG, Aslan C, Cavazos BR, Effiom E, Fricke EC, Montaño-Centellas F, Poulsen J, Razafindratsima OH, Sandor ME, Shea K. Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal are diverse and pervasive. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz067. [PMID: 31857875 PMCID: PMC6914678 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 10/09/2019] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
There is growing realization that intraspecific variation in seed dispersal can have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. However, we do not have a good understanding of the drivers or causes of intraspecific variation in dispersal, how strong an effect these drivers have, and how widespread they are across dispersal modes. As a first step to developing a better understanding, we present a broad, but not exhaustive, review of what is known about the drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal, and what remains uncertain. We start by decomposing 'drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal' into intrinsic drivers (i.e. variation in traits of individual plants) and extrinsic drivers (i.e. variation in ecological context). For intrinsic traits, we further decompose intraspecific variation into variation among individuals and variation of trait values within individuals. We then review our understanding of the major intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of intraspecific variation in seed dispersal, with an emphasis on variation among individuals. Crop size is the best-supported and best-understood intrinsic driver of variation across dispersal modes; overall, more seeds are dispersed as more seeds are produced, even in cases where per seed dispersal rates decline. Fruit/seed size is the second most widely studied intrinsic driver, and is also relevant to a broad range of seed dispersal modes. Remaining intrinsic drivers are poorly understood, and range from effects that are probably widespread, such as plant height, to drivers that are most likely sporadic, such as fruit or seed colour polymorphism. Primary extrinsic drivers of variation in seed dispersal include local environmental conditions and habitat structure. Finally, we present a selection of outstanding questions as a starting point to advance our understanding of individual variation in seed dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Rafal Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
| | - Landon R Jones
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Rebecca S Snell
- Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA
| | - Noelle G Beckman
- Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Clare Aslan
- Landscape Conservation Initiative, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Brittany R Cavazos
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Edu Effiom
- REDD & Biodiversity Unit, Cross River State Forestry Commission, Calabar, Nigeria
| | - Evan C Fricke
- National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | | | - John Poulsen
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Onja H Razafindratsima
- Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
| | - Manette E Sandor
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
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24
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Yang X, Yan C, Gu H, Zhang Z. Interspecific synchrony of seed rain shapes rodent-mediated indirect seed-seed interactions of sympatric tree species in a subtropical forest. Ecol Lett 2019; 23:45-54. [PMID: 31631473 PMCID: PMC6916184 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Animal‐mediated indirect interactions play a significant role in maintaining the biodiversity of plant communities. Less known is whether interspecific synchrony of seed rain can alter the indirect interactions of sympatric tree species. We assessed the seed dispersal success by tracking the fates of 21 600 tagged seeds from six paired sympatric tree species in both monospecific and mixed plots across 4 successive years in a subtropical forest. We found that apparent mutualism was associated with the interspecific synchrony of seed rain both seasonally and yearly, whereas apparent competition or apparent predation was associated with interspecific asynchrony of seed rain either seasonally or yearly. We did not find consistent associations of indirect interactions with seed traits. Our study suggests that the interspecific synchrony of seed rain plays a key role in the formation of animal‐mediated indirect interactions, which, in turn, may alter the seasonal or yearly seed rain schedules of sympatric tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xifu Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Chuan Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Haifeng Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhibin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents in Agriculture Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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25
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Yi X, Ju M, Yang Y, Zhang M. Scatter‐hoarding and cache pilfering of rodents in response to seed abundance. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Xianfeng Yi
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Mengyao Ju
- College of Life Sciences Qufu Normal University Qufu China
| | - Yueqin Yang
- College of Agriculture Henan University of Science and Technology Luoyang China
| | - Mingming Zhang
- College of Agriculture Henan University of Science and Technology Luoyang China
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26
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Gómez JM, Schupp EW, Jordano P. Synzoochory: the ecological and evolutionary relevance of a dual interaction. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2018; 94:874-902. [PMID: 30467946 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Revised: 10/22/2018] [Accepted: 10/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- José María Gómez
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Ctra Sacramento s/n, La Cañada de San Urbano, E-04120 Almería, Spain
| | - Eugene W Schupp
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, S. J. and Jesse E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, 5230 Old Main Hill, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5230,, U.S.A
| | - Pedro Jordano
- Departamento de Ecología Integrativa, Integrative Ecology Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Americo Vespucio S/N, E-41092 Sevilla, Spain
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27
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Converting Larch Plantations to Larch-Walnut Mixed Stands: Effects of Spatial Distribution Pattern of Larch Plantations on the Rodent-Mediated Seed Dispersal of Juglans mandshurica. FORESTS 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/f9110716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Larch (Larix spp.) is planted after a clear-cut of secondary forests (SFs) to meet the timber demand of Northeast China. However, the declination of soil fertility and the acidification of surface runoff in larch plantations (LPs) resulting from mono-species composition have threatened the sustainable development of LPs. Converting pure LPs into larch-walnut mixed forests can solve those problems, in which it is crucial to promote the seed regeneration of Juglans mandshurica in LPs. The success of walnut seed regeneration is dependent on rodent removing seed away from mother trees and the dispersal processes rely on the stand structure. The spatial distribution pattern between LPs and SFs is a type of stand structure that might affect seed dispersal. There are two typical spatial patterns in Northeast China due to different topographical conditions, that is, contour type (C-T, LPs and SFs located at the same slope position and aspect) and downslope type (D-T, LPs located at the down slope of the adjacent SF in the same aspect). The objectives of our study were to verify the effects of the spatial distribution pattern of LPs on rodent-mediated seed dispersal and to determine the optimal spatial distribution type for seed dispersal. The field trial was conducted by releasing tagged J. mandshurica seeds at three stages of seed rain during two continuous growing seasons in two types of spatial distribution patterns for LPs. We found that contour type had a substantial advantage in the rodent-mediated seed dispersal, that is, the dispersal rate and the proportion of scatter-hoarded seeds in LPs of C-T stands were much higher than in D-T stands, respectively. These differences may be caused by the variation in the topographic factor for these two types of spatial distribution pattern of LPs. In the C-T stands, it was a translational motion for rodents to remove walnuts from SFs to LPs, which would be an energy efficient and favorable method of seed dispersal. Fluctuation of seed abundance had an effect on rodent behaviors and seed fates, that is, there was a faster dispersal rate and lower proportion of seeds in situ in the non-masting year of 2015 than in the masting year of 2016 and proportion of scatter-hoarded seeds reached the highest during the early stage and lowest at the middle stage of seed rain. Thus, the contour type of LPs with a favorable terrain advantage is potentially conducive to dispersing walnut seeds by rodents during early stage of seed rain and converting larch plantations into larch-walnut mixed forests.
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28
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Schermer É, Bel‐Venner M, Fouchet D, Siberchicot A, Boulanger V, Caignard T, Thibaudon M, Oliver G, Nicolas M, Gaillard J, Delzon S, Venner S. Pollen limitation as a main driver of fruiting dynamics in oak populations. Ecol Lett 2018; 22:98-107. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Éliane Schermer
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Marie‐Claude Bel‐Venner
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - David Fouchet
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Aurélie Siberchicot
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Vincent Boulanger
- Département recherche, développement et innovation Office National des Forêts F‐77300 Fontainebleau France
| | - Thomas Caignard
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique UMR 1202 BIOGECO F‐33612 Cestas France
- Université de Bordeaux UMR 1202 Biodiversité, des gènes aux communautés F‐33615 Pessac France
| | - Michel Thibaudon
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique F‐69690 Brussieu France
| | - Gilles Oliver
- Réseau National de Surveillance Aérobiologique F‐69690 Brussieu France
| | - Manuel Nicolas
- Département recherche, développement et innovation Office National des Forêts F‐77300 Fontainebleau France
| | - Jean‐Michel Gaillard
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique UMR 1202 BIOGECO F‐33612 Cestas France
- Université de Bordeaux UMR 1202 Biodiversité, des gènes aux communautés F‐33615 Pessac France
| | - Samuel Venner
- Université de Lyon Université Lyon 1 CNRS Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558 F‐69622 Villeurbanne France
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29
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Bogdziewicz M, Marino S, Bonal R, Zwolak R, Steele MA. Rapid aggregative and reproductive responses of weevils to masting of North American oaks counteract predator satiation. Ecology 2018; 99:2575-2582. [PMID: 30182480 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 07/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The predator satiation hypothesis posits that masting helps plants escape seed predation through starvation of predators in lean years, followed by satiation of predators in mast years. Importantly, successful satiation requires sufficiently delayed bottom-up effects of seed availability on seed consumers. However, some seed consumers may be capable of quick aggregative and reproductive responses to masting, which may jeopardize positive density dependence of seed survival. We used a 17-yr data set on seed production and insect (Curculio weevils) infestation of three North American oaks species (northern red Quercus rubra, white Q. alba, and chestnut oak Q. montana) to test predictions of the predation satiation hypothesis. Furthermore, we tested for the unlagged numerical response of Curculio to acorn production. We found that masting results in a bottom-up effect on the insect population; both through increased reproductive output and aggregation at seed-rich trees. Consequently, mast seeding in two out of three studied oaks (white and chestnut oak) did not help to escape insect seed predation, whereas, in the red oak, the escape depended on the synchronization of mast crops within the population. Bottom-up effects of masting on seed consumer populations are assumed to be delayed, and therefore to have negligible effects on seed survival in mast years. Our research suggests that insect populations may be able to mount rapid reproductive and aggregative responses when seed availability increases, possibly hindering satiation effects of masting. Many insect species are able to quickly benefit from pulsed resources, making mechanisms described here potentially relevant in many other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Shealyn Marino
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 18766, USA
| | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Calle Virgen Puerto, 2, 10600, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Calle Altagracia, 50, 13003 Ciudad Real, Toledo, Spain
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, 18766, USA
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30
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Sawaya GM, Goldberg AS, Steele MA, Dalgleish HJ. Environmental variation shifts the relationship between trees and scatterhoarders along the continuum from mutualism to antagonism. Integr Zool 2018; 13:319-330. [PMID: 29436764 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The conditional mutualism between scatterhoarders and trees varies on a continuum from mutualism to antagonism and can change across time and space, and among species. We examined 4 tree species (red oak [Quercus rubra], white oak [Quercus alba], American chestnut [Castanea dentata] and hybrid chestnut [C. dentata × Castanea mollissima) across 5 sites and 3 years to quantify the variability in this conditional mutualism. We used a published model to compare the rates of seed emergence with and without burial to the probability that seeds will be cached and left uneaten by scatterhoarders to quantify variation in the conditional mutualism that can be explained by environmental variation among sites, years, species, and seed provenance within species. All species tested had increased emergence when buried. However, comparing benefits of burial to the probability of caching by scatterhoarders indicated a mutualism in red oak, while white oak was nearly always antagonistic. Chestnut was variable around the boundary between mutualism and antagonism, indicating a high degree of context dependence in the relationship with scatterhoarders. We found that different seed provenances did not vary in their potential for mutualism. Temperature did not explain microsite differences in seed emergence in any of the species tested. In hybrid chestnut only, emergence on the surface declined with soil moisture in the fall. By quantifying the variation in the conditional mutualism that was not caused by changes in scatterhoarder behavior, we show that environmental conditions and seed traits are an important and underappreciated component of the variation in the relationship between trees and scatterhoarders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina M Sawaya
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Adam S Goldberg
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Harmony J Dalgleish
- Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
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31
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Zwolak R, Witczuk J, Bogdziewicz M, Rychlik L, Pagacz S. Simultaneous population fluctuations of rodents in montane forests and alpine meadows suggest indirect effects of tree masting. J Mammal 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyy034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
| | - Julia Witczuk
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warszawa, Poland
| | - Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
- CREAF, Campus de Bellaterra (UAB) Edifici C, Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Leszek Rychlik
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska, Poznań, Poland
| | - Stanisław Pagacz
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warszawa, Poland
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32
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Bogdziewicz M, Espelta JM, Muñoz A, Aparicio JM, Bonal R. Effectiveness of predator satiation in masting oaks is negatively affected by conspecific density. Oecologia 2018; 186:983-993. [PMID: 29383506 PMCID: PMC5859101 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4069-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Variation in seed availability shapes plant communities, and is strongly affected by seed predation. In some plant species, temporal variation in seed production is especially high and synchronized over large areas, which is called ‘mast seeding’. One selective advantage of this phenomenon is predator satiation which posits that masting helps plants escape seed predation through starvation of predators in lean years, and satiation in mast years. However, even though seed predation can be predicted to have a strong spatial component and depend on plant densities, whether the effectiveness of predator satiation in masting plants changes according to the Janzen-Connell effect has been barely investigated. We studied, over an 8-year period, the seed production, the spatiotemporal patters of weevil seed predation, and the abundance of adult weevils in a holm oak (Quercus ilex) population that consists of trees interspersed at patches covering a continuum of conspecific density. Isolated oaks effectively satiate predators, but this is trumped by increasing conspecific plant density. Lack of predator satiation in trees growing in dense patches was caused by re-distribution of insects among plants that likely attenuated them against food shortage in lean years, and changed the type of weevil functional response from type II in isolated trees to type III in trees growing in dense patches. This study provides the first empirical evaluation of the notion that masting and predator satiation should be more important in populations that start to dominate their communities, and is consistent with the observation that masting is less frequent and less intense in diverse forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89, 61-614, Poznań, Poland. .,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, 08193, Catalonia, Spain.
| | | | - Alberto Muñoz
- Departamento de Didáctica de la Ciencias Experimentales, Facultad de Educación, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose M Aparicio
- Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
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33
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Wright BR, Fensham RJ. Fire timing in relation to masting: an important determinant of post-fire recruitment success for the obligate-seeding arid zone soft spinifex (Triodia pungens). ANNALS OF BOTANY 2018; 121:119-128. [PMID: 29293879 PMCID: PMC5786211 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcx136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Plant species with fire-triggered germination are common in many fire-prone ecosystems. For such plants, fire timing in relation to the timing of reproduction may strongly influence post-fire population regeneration if: (a) flowering occurs infrequently (e.g. plants are mast seeders); and (b) seed survival rates are low and input from the current year's flowering therefore contributes a large proportion of the viable dormant seedbank. The role of fire timing in relation to masting as a driver of post-fire recruitment has rarely been examined directly, so this study tested the hypothesis that fires shortly after masting trigger increased recruitment of the obligate-seeding arid zone spinifex, Triodia pungens R. Br., an iteroparous masting grass with smoke-cued germination. METHODS Phenological monitoring of T. pungens was conducted over 5 years, while a longitudinal seedbank study assessed the influence of seeding events on soil-stored seedbank dynamics. Concurrently, a fire experiment with randomized blocking was undertaken to test whether T. pungens hummocks burnt shortly after masting have greater post-fire recruitment than hummocks burnt when there has not been recent input of seeds. KEY RESULTS Triodia pungens flowered in all years, though most flowerings were characterized by high rates of flower abortion. A mast flowering with high seed set in 2012 triggered approx. 200-fold increases in seedbank densities, and seedbank densities remained elevated for 24 months after this event. The fire experiment showed significantly higher recruitment around hummocks burnt 6 months after the 2012 mast event than around hummocks that were burnt but prevented from masting by having inflorescences clipped. CONCLUSIONS Fires shortly after masting trigger mass recruitment in T. pungens because such fires synchronize an appropriate germination cue (smoke) with periods when seedbank densities are elevated. Interactions between natural fire regimes, seedbank dynamics and fire management prescriptions must be considered carefully when managing fire-sensitive masting plants such as T. pungens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boyd R Wright
- Alice Springs Herbarium, Department of Land and Resource Management, Northern Territory Government, Alice Springs, NT, Australia
- School of Agriculture and Food Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Botany, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Roderick J Fensham
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Queensland Herbarium, Mount Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Urgoiti J, Muñoz A, Espelta JM, Bonal R. Distribution and space use of seed-dispersing rodents in central Pyrenees: implications for genetic diversity, conservation and plant recruitment. Integr Zool 2018; 13:307-318. [PMID: 29316239 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The function and conservation of many forest ecosystems depend on the distribution and diversity of the community of rodents that consume and disperse seeds. The habitat preferences and interactions are especially relevant in alpine systems where such granivorous rodents reach the southernmost limit of their distribution and are especially sensitive to global warming. We analyzed the community of granivorous rodents in the Pyrenees, one of the southernmost mountain ranges of Europe. Rodent species were identified by DNA with particular attention to the Apodemus species, which are prominent seed-dispersing rodents in Europe. We confirmed for the first time the presence of the yellow-necked mouse, Apodemus flavicollis, in central Pyrenees, a typical Eurosiberian species that reaches its southernmost distribution limit in this area. We also found the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus, a related species more tolerant to Mediterranean environments. Both rodents were spatially segregated by altitude. A. sylvaticus was rare at high altitudes, which might cause the genetic differentiation between populations of the different valleys reported here. We also found other seed consumers like dormice, Elyomis quercinus, and voles, Myodes glareolus, with marked habitat preferences. We suggest that population isolation among valleys may increase the genetic diversity of rodents, like A. sylvaticus. We also highlight the potential threat that global warming may represent for species linked to high-altitude refuges at the southern edge of its distribution, like Apodemus flavicollis. Finally, we discuss how this threat may have a dimension in the conservation of alpine forests dispersed by these rodent populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jon Urgoiti
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallés, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Alberto Muñoz
- Department of Didactics of Experimental Sciences, Faculty of Education, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Raúl Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain.,Research group of Genetic and Cultural Biodiversity, Research centre for Cinegetic Resources (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain
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35
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Inter-annual and decadal changes in teleconnections drive continental-scale synchronization of tree reproduction. Nat Commun 2017; 8:2205. [PMID: 29263383 PMCID: PMC5738406 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02348-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate teleconnections drive highly variable and synchronous seed production (masting) over large scales. Disentangling the effect of high-frequency (inter-annual variation) from low-frequency (decadal trends) components of climate oscillations will improve our understanding of masting as an ecosystem process. Using century-long observations on masting (the MASTREE database) and data on the Northern Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), we show that in the last 60 years both high-frequency summer and spring NAO, and low-frequency winter NAO components are highly correlated to continent-wide masting in European beech and Norway spruce. Relationships are weaker (non-stationary) in the early twentieth century. This finding improves our understanding on how climate variation affects large-scale synchronization of tree masting. Moreover, it supports the connection between proximate and ultimate causes of masting: indeed, large-scale features of atmospheric circulation coherently drive cues and resources for masting, as well as its evolutionary drivers, such as pollination efficiency, abundance of seed dispersers, and natural disturbance regimes.
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36
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Wróbel A, Zwolak R. Deciphering the effects of disperser assemblages and seed mass on patterns of seed dispersal in a rodent community. Integr Zool 2017; 12:457-467. [PMID: 28488781 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The sizes of both seed dispersers and seeds are traits that are likely to interact to influence seed fate in many synzoochoric plant species. Here, we examined whether members of a granivorous rodent community consisting of species of different body size vary in their effectiveness as seed dispersers, and how this relationship may be altered by seed size. We marked northern red oak (Quercus rubra) acorns with plastic tags and placed them in size-selective rodent exclosures. The exclosures allowed differential access of rodent groups based on different body size: (i) small (e.g. Peromyscus spp.); (ii) small and medium (e.g. Tamias striatus); and (iii) small, medium and large (e.g. Sciurus carolinensis) species of rodents. Acorn removal did not differ among exclosure types, but more seeds were missing when removed by small rodents, probably because of larderhoarding. The treatments did not influence the relative frequency of acorn consumption. However, small rodents cached considerably fewer and partially ate more acorns than the other 2 groups. The mean dispersal distance was the longest for cages with medium openings, intermediate for cages with large openings and the shortest for cages with small openings. Acorn mass positively affected the probability of caching and this relationship was unaffected by exclosure type. In conclusion, granivorous rodents of different body sizes strongly differed in their interactions with acorns, with small rodents acting primarily as acorn predators and medium and large species contributing significantly more to dispersal of red oaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Wróbel
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Institute of Environmental Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poland
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37
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Bogdziewicz M, Bonal R, Espelta JM, Kalemba EM, Steele MA, Zwolak R. Invasive oaks escape pre-dispersal insect seed predation and trap enemies in their seeds. Integr Zool 2017; 13:228-237. [PMID: 29078044 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Species introduced to habitats outside their native range often escape control by their natural enemies. Besides competing with native species, an alien species might also affect the native herbivores by introducing a new source of different quality food. Here, we describe the case of northern red oak (Quercus rubra) invasion in Europe. We collected data on insect (moth Cydia spp. and weevil Curculio spp.) seed predation of northern red oak in its native (USA, North America) and invasive (Poland, Europe) range, as well as for sessile oaks (Quercus petrea) in Europe. We also evaluated the quality of acorns as hosts for weevil larvae by collecting infested acorns and measuring weevil developmental success, and quantifying acorn traits such as seed mass, tannins, lipids and protein concentration. We used DNA barcoding to identify insects to the species level. The predation by moths was similar and very low in both species and in both ranges. However, red oaks escape pre-dispersal seed predation by weevils in Europe. Weevil infestation rates of northern red oak acorns in their invasive range were 10 times lower than that of sessile oaks, and also 10 times lower than that of red oaks in North America. Furthermore, even when weevils oviposited into northern red oaks, the larvae failed to develop, suggesting that the exotic host created a trap for the insect. This phenomenon might gradually decrease the local abundance of the seed predator, and further aid the invasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Bogdziewicz
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland.,CREAF, Cerdanyola del Valles, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Raul Bonal
- Forest Research Group, INDEHESA, University of Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain.,DITEG Research Group, University of Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | | | - Ewa M Kalemba
- Laboratory of Seed Biochemistry, Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kórnik, Poland
| | - Michael A Steele
- Department of Biology, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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38
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Zwolak R. How intraspecific variation in seed-dispersing animals matters for plants. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 93:897-913. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Zwolak
- Department of Systematic Zoology, Faculty of Biology; Adam Mickiewicz University, Umultowska 89; 61-614 Poznań Poland
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39
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Espelta JM, Arias-LeClaire H, Fernández-Martínez M, Doblas-Miranda E, Muñoz A, Bonal R. Beyond predator satiation: Masting but also the effects of rainfall stochasticity on weevils drive acorn predation. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Harold Arias-LeClaire
- CREAF; Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193 Catalonia Spain
- Escuela de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad Estatal a Distancia; Mercedes de Montes de Oca San José 474-2050 Costa Rica
| | - Marcos Fernández-Martínez
- CREAF; Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193 Catalonia Spain
- CSIC; Global Ecology Unit; CREAF-CSIC-UAB; Cerdanyola del Vallés 08193 Catalonia Spain
| | | | - Alberto Muñoz
- Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias Experimentales; Facultad de Educación; Universidad Complutense de Madrid; 28040 Madrid Spain
| | - Raúl Bonal
- Forest Research Group; INDEHESA; University of Extremadura; 10600 Plasencia Spain
- Grupo de Investigación de la Biodiversidad Genética y Cultural; Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos CSIC-UCLM-JCCM; 13005 Ciudad Real Spain
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40
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Moreira X, Abdala-Roberts L, Zas R, Merlo E, Lombardero MJ, Sampedro L, Mooney KA. Masting behaviour in a Mediterranean pine tree alters seed predator selection on reproductive output. PLANT BIOLOGY (STUTTGART, GERMANY) 2016; 18:973-980. [PMID: 27500664 DOI: 10.1111/plb.12491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2016] [Accepted: 08/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Context-dependency in species interactions is widespread and can produce concomitant patterns of context-dependent selection. Masting (synchronous production of large seed crops at irregular intervals by a plant population) has been shown to reduce seed predation through satiation (reduction in rates of seed predation with increasing seed cone output) and thus represents an important source of context-dependency in plant-animal interactions. However, the evolutionary consequences of such dynamics are not well understood. Here we describe masting behaviour in a Mediterranean model pine species (Pinus pinaster) and present a test of the effects of masting on selection by seed predators on reproductive output. We predicted that masting, by enhancing seed predator satiation, could in turn strengthen positive selection by seed predators for larger cone output. For this we collected six-year data (spanning one mast year and five non-mast years) on seed cone production and seed cone predation rates in a forest genetic trial composed by 116 P. pinaster genotypes. Following our prediction, we found stronger seed predator satiation during the masting year, which in turn led to stronger seed predator selection for increased cone production relative to non-masting years. These findings provide evidence that masting can alter the evolutionary outcome of plant-seed predator interactions. More broadly, our findings highlight that changes in consumer responses to resource abundance represent a widespread mechanism for predicting and understanding context dependency in plant-consumer evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Moreira
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Pontevedra, Spain.
| | - L Abdala-Roberts
- Departamento de Ecología Tropical, Campus de Ciencias Biológicas y Agropecuarias, Universidad Autόnoma de Yucatán, Mérida, México
| | - R Zas
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Pontevedra, Spain
| | - E Merlo
- Madera Plus Company, Ourense, Spain
| | - M J Lombardero
- Departamento de Producción Vegetal, Universidad de Santiago, Lugo, Spain
| | - L Sampedro
- Misión Biológica de Galicia (MBG-CSIC), Pontevedra, Spain
| | - K A Mooney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA
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41
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The effect of within-year variation in acorn crop size on seed harvesting by avian hoarders. Oecologia 2016; 181:97-106. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3557-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/12/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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