Effects of fat and protein levels on foraging preferences of tannin in scatter-hoarding rodents.

ABSTRACT: Both as consumers and dispersers of seeds, scatter-hoarding rodents often play an important role in the reproductive ecology of many plant species. However, the seeds of many plant species contain tannins, which are a diverse group of water-soluble phenolic compounds that have a high affinity for proteins. The amount of tannins in seeds is expected to affect rodent foraging preferences because of their major impact on rodent physiology and survival. However, variable results have been obtained in studies that evaluated the effects of tannin on rodent foraging behavior. Hence, in this study, we aimed to explain these inconsistent results and proposed that a combination of seed traits might be important in rodent foraging behavior, because it is difficult to distinguish between the effects o

SUBMITTER: Wang B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3393693 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature