Seeds and seedlings of oaks suffer from mammals and molluscs close to phylogenetically isolated, old adults.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Mammals and molluscs (MaM) are abundant herbivores of tree seeds and seedlings, but how the trees and their environment affect MaM herbivory has been little studied. MaM tend to move much larger distances during the feeding stage than the more frequently studied insect herbivores. We hypothesize that MaM (1) select and stay within the patches that promise to be relatively the richest in seeds and seedlings, i.e. patches around adult trees that are old and within a distantly related, less productive neighborhood; and (2) try to remain sheltered from predators while foraging, i.e. mammals remain close to adult trees or to cover by herbs while foraging, and might force their mollusc prey to show the opposite distribution.

Methods

We exposed oak acorns and se

SUBMITTER: Deniau M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8103810 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature