Pilfering personalities: Effects of small mammal personality on cache pilferage.

ABSTRACT: Small mammals such as mice and voles play a fundamental role in the ecosystem service of seed dispersal by caching seeds in small hoards that germinate under beneficial conditions. Pilferage is a critical step in this process in which animals steal seeds from other individuals' caches. Pilferers often recache stolen seeds, which are often pilfered by new individuals, who may recache again, and so on, potentially leading to compounded increased dispersal distance. However, little research has investigated intraspecific differences in pilfering frequency, despite its importance in better understanding the role of behavioural diversity in the valuable ecosystem service of seed dispersal. We conducted a field experiment in Maine (USA) investigating how intraspecific variation, including person

SUBMITTER: Humphreys BR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11880656 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature