An Eight-Year Record of Fruit Production

Abstract

The quantity and variety of fruit produced by native and exotic trees and shrubs appeared to be adequate for birds and mammals of the Kellogg Forest for the 8 years during which measurements were made. Various deciduous trees and shrubs on the Kellogg Forest near Battle Creek, Michigan, produce fruits that may be used by wildlife. These plants include both native and exotic species. During the development of the forest, the exotic species were planted (1937-39) to provide wildlife food and cover. A study was made of the survival, growth, and fruit production of seven of these planted species (Gysel, L. W., and W. Lemmien. 1955. Michigan Agr. Expt. Sta. Quart. Bull. 38(1):139145). Because the amount of fruit they produced varied markedly during 2 years of the study, yearly measurements of fruit production were initiated for these seven species and for six additional native and exotic species to determine the degree of variability of fruiting and its possible significance to wildlife. Black oak is one of the most common indigenous species of the forest, and black cherry is a common associate species. Hawthorn is also indigenous but less common. The ninebark was originally planted in the forest but later became an escape. The other small trees and shrubs were planted in long rows and clumps and varied in number from a few hundred for multiflora rose and Russian olive to approximately 5,000 for honeysuckle and Siberian pea shrub. Acorn production was determined each year from fruits collected in single seed traps under 15 different dominant and codominant trees in a forest stand. Other fleshy and dry fruits were picked from two square-foot crown areas, to a depth of 4-5 inches, from five permanently marked plants of each species. Sample areas were located on parts of a plant judged by the collector to have average amounts of fruit. Fruits were weighed in the field, as collected. Weight measurements were made for fruits from plants of each species growing on Fox sandy loam, a moderately fertile soil common throughout the forest. For 1 Journal Article No. 3104 from the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station. 175 darts. Examination of the ruined darts revealed that the low temperature had partially frozen the nicotine solution and caused stiffening of the lubricant on the injecting plunger, causing the projectilesyringe to explode without injecting the drug. This kind of accident can be avoided by keeping the loaded projectile-syringe warm with body heat and loading it into the gun just before use. Received for publication July 10, 1963. This content downloaded from 207.46.13.101 on Sat, 08 Oct 2016 05:30:42 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 176 Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 28, No. 1, January 1964 Table 1. Weight of fruit produced. GRAMS PER SQUARE FOOT OF CROWN SURFACE MEAN SPECIES 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 196